by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Following a move from Knoxville to Philadelphia, The Noisy are poised to released their debut album, The Secret Ingredient is More Meat, on May 24th. Led by poet and songwriter Sara Mae, the project came together over the past year, recording together with Jacob Lawter (Slow and Steady) in Tennessee and joined by Josh Sorrells (Easy Does It), Ash Baker (Bugs Baker) and Nyleen Perez (Pueblo Now). Reflecting on More Meat, Mae describes the album as being about “queer metabolism: an abundant appetite, moving grief through the body, a hunger for performance and adornment, crushes and friendships that we have gathered around and been nourished by,” further adding, “This album is for our queer community”.
The record’s lead single, “Ballerino” plays out like a stream of conciousness reflection of wild nights gone past. There’s a resolve in Mae’s voice that is coming to terms with vivid memories and the path forward, bringing the best parts of the past along while keeping sight toward the future. The Noisy’s sound isn’t exactly noisy in the abrasive sense, but it is boisterous, embracing the crunch of grungy pop rock and the twang of Mae’s Knoxville roots to create a muscular and freely associated alt-country belter. Director Ewan Hill brings “Ballerino” to life in a video that pairs some light anthropomorphic violence together with the elegance of dance.
Speaking about the single, Sara Mae shared:
“There is a line in the song that means a lot to me: “I wanted to be dangerous before: french maid costume, six figure french doors. But walking down Guilford with you in my yellow shorts was my favorite part of last year.” The song is about finding myself able to be open to love again after a really difficult period of moves and isolation and feeling like everything was an emergency. There is an ease and gentleness that came with this kind of love, that changed my relationship with myself and the world around me.”