One fifth of the globally recognised vocal group Parcels, Noah Hill's vocals sound like floating silk.
His debut solo record, resplendent with goosebump-inducing harmonies, commences with Lighting: a voice recording of a girl describing how dreamy someone looks wearing “an unbuttoned long-sleeved collared shirt”, catching the light just so.
Written over a ten-year period, Ok ok now documents Hill’s first great love, which didn’t go the distance. There’s forward momentum in this set of songs, which carry grace, softness, breakup regret and accountability.
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“I lie awake some nights/ ‘Cause I’m not loving me sometimes…” – demoed in Hill’s parents’ garage in the Northern Rivers over Christmas, lead single It’s All In My Head reckons with a breakup, a serious health scare (“They told me that I could die”) and his ensuing wave of anxiety. Although inspired by “a rough year”, this song is a calming tonic to reach for whenever things start going awry.
Over meandering acoustic guitar, Sympathise observes, “The grief hurts more when you’re to blame”. Dehnga Place (which is in Suffolk Park) captures family banter alongside sonorous piano playing. The possibility of moving to Berlin – where Parcels relocated shortly after forming in Byron Bay – is mentioned here. After longing for simpler times (“Driving our parents’ cars ’round town”), Love You Now lands upon a crushing realisation: “Maybe I could love you now that it’s too late to find out.”
We’re totally here for Hill’s intimate, vulnerable singer-songwriter era; listeners will get to know him a whole lot more.
LABEL: BECAUSE MUSIC
RELEASE: 4 SEPTEMBER
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