#Norika Yue

[thepermanentrainpress]

UNDER THE RADAR: NOVEMBER 2022

It’s been a hectic couple of months, but Under the Radar is never far from reach. Enjoy these tunes from VOX REA, Riun Garner, Miles Away and Danni Carra, Noca Project, American Lips, and NOLLE.

1) VOX REA - “Julia”

We’ve covered sisters Kate and Lauren Kurdyak since 2015, and their enchanting sensibilities haven’t waned. “Julia” (604 Records) is one for the hopeless romantics and daydreamers.

“The smell of your perfume / turns me the happy kind of blue.” They explore the nonsensical thoughts of infatuation and continuing to return to a toxic relationship. A push and pull where it’s easy to fall back into and justify old habits – the reckless highs are to “die for.” It has a silky and electric feel, subtle with a sweet aftertaste. While they’re best known for their darker noir pop, a dreamy essence isn’t new to the duo, instead taken up a melodic notch in their newest effort. To be enamoured is to be in danger, foolproof flaws at any corner. Drawn in by loyalty and fantasy, “Julia” does not err on the side of caution in its foolish play but coolly delivers in every aspect.

Written by: Chloe Hoy

2) Riun Garner - “Hasn’t Gotten Easier”

“Hasn’t Gotten Easier” was penned in a heartbreak state of mind. Its hushed, halcyon tones speak to the listener. Indie folk guitar strums and keys meet Garner’s yearning vocals – more determined with time as he attempts to fill the space between his empty hands and heart. Garner carries the weight of change with charm; attentive notes; hoping the smiles will one day come as they used to.

“It’s not like this is the first time / but it still hasn’t gotten easier.”

Riun Garner is a singer-songwriter and actor based in Vancouver. His debut EP All We Know and All We Forget was released in 2020.

Written by: Natalie Hoy

3) Miles Away and Danni Carra - “Back to Sleep”

“When the sky turns upside down / I’ll fade into you, like I always do.”

It’s very poetic, delicate in how it approaches the escapism we can feel in dreams. Producer Miles Away and vocalist Danni Carra create a soothing aesthetic, but one that excites; synths and samples breathing emotions of remorse and reprieve. Yet, there’s also a notion of being clouded in fantasy versus reality—it fits with ease and solves our problems, why wouldn’t we choose to stay?

Carra has a longing and desperation in her voice, adorned by production less bass heavy than Miles Away’s usual repertoire; wandering vibrations that are airy and reassuring in nature. Hopeful regret can lead to the most well-intentioned dreams and false security, chased down with purpose in “Back to Sleep.”

Written by: Chloe Hoy

4) Noca Project - “Here Before”

Noca Project is the creative endeavor of Japanese singer-songwriter Norika Yue, alongside Jeff Oman (drums) and Malcolm Strasdin (bass). “Here Before” is a melancholy and textured effort akin to the (sandwich) filling of their 3-track EP, Silent Tragedies. It muses on the end of a relationship – coming to terms with what you already know: “All the sounds are dying down in waiting / I wished I loved you hard enough to say it.” This emotional vulnerability diffuses into its shoegaze instrumentals. In poetic control despite the somber subject matter, "Here Before” is a song I wouldn’t mind getting lost in live.

Written by: Natalie Hoy

5) American Lips - “Labor of Hate”

Los Angeles/Montreal-based trio American Lips have released a new maxi-single, including “Labor of Hate.” The song paints a bitter atmosphere: standing on a beach, reflecting on your mundane job and “blaming your predicament on the neighborhood punk rocker who made fun of you for loving Tom Jones' cover of "Kiss" when you were 9 years old.” Oddly specific but rhythmically catchy. American Lips features Adrian Popovich (Tricky Woo) on vocals/guitar, Jessica Bruzzese on bass/vocals, and Sebastien Grainger (Death From Above 1979) on drums. Brassy horn samples add vibrance to the song’s dystopian feel. Their sound is explicit and engaging, with no signs of wiping out.

Waste of Crime is out now on Ancient Fashion Records.

Written by: Natalie Hoy

6) NOLLE - “tuesdays”

"Tuesdays” is a trip into the dark side of the music industry and a cryptic reference to the infamous ‘27 Club.’ Inspired by the “insecurities and societal expectations” faced, NOLLE (Nicole Hylton) has a raw and unnerving spark as she muses about fame and its toll. We want going at a dream as an independent artist to be glamorous – hard work, dedication, music that speaks to our soul making it to the big stage, but it can be the opposite, a proverbial nightmare (“You only become unusually famous / from your grave therefrom”).  

It’s elaborate and torments the mind. The distressing tone flows throughout; distorted vocals, electric guitar and drums that feel both combative and desperate. Her voice, a gritty drawl that I loved, exploring the detachment in a matter and goal so personal to her. A clandestine message to others, “Tuesdays” documents power and vicious cycles, standing by a style true to herself. 

Written by: Chloe Hoy