Noah Earp The Raw and the Cooked Interview

Noah Earp The Raw and the Cooked Interview

Australian songsmith Noah Earp has today announced his new single The Raw and the Cooked, a broad, sweeping stroke of alternative folk-rock, October 7. To accompany the single, Earp has released a self-made film clip that endears the viewer with its undeniable quirk. The Raw and the Cooked is the first taste of Earp's debut album Disinheritor, an enlightening collection of songs that demonstrates a rare ear for unexpected harmony. Disinheritor is out October 28.

The Raw and the Cooked rambles comfortably across its three and a half minutes, generating a sprawling acoustic soundscape that lifts and inspires the listener. Evoking thoughts of Father John Misty and Radiohead, the track nestles sweetly underneath Earp's inimitable vocal, then climaxes in perfect chaos. Of the track, Earp says, 'The Raw and the Cooked is about a person who is trapped in a bad scene. At first she seems really cynical, but actually the cynicism masks a certain naivete. We all have this to some extent - nothing is too neat and nobody's perfect. I liked the idea of a love song that wasn't…in the end this pretty love song fragments into a million pieces, because life is scary and chaotic."

The clip for The Raw and the Cooked is lovingly homemade by Earp himself, and features charming characters, including Brisbane musician Laneous and band member Danny Cox, in iconic Melbourne scenes. Affectionately tongue-in-cheek, the clip was inspired by several wasted hours spent watching extreme sports and skateboard tricks on YouTube. Earp laughs, 'I thought it'd be cool to grab some GoPros and film an extremely untalented person making an absolute mockery of themselves and the sport. I thought the album was serious enough…I have a habit of doing music videos myself. It's not generally advised, but I like learning about filmmaking, and I'd rather learn about it by jumping in and giving it a shot."

Earp's debut album Disinheritor demonstrates the troubadour's insatiable taste for poetics and symbolism, encompassed within a balanced acoustic/electronic environment. The result is tender, suffused with melancholy, marked by Earp's delicate vocal tone and unforeseen tunings that unsettle as much as they ease. Recorded with Jonathan Dreyfus (Gretta Ray, Lester the Fierce), Jez Giddings (Kingswood, Dallas Crane) and Craig Harnath at Hothouse Studios, Disinheritor includes many pleasant surprises – even a duet with the 2016 winner of Triple J Unearthed's Unearthed High competition, Gretta Ray. Of the record, Earp enthuses, 'We're not supposed to think about the fact that tomorrow we're going be somebody else's history book. So I guess all of these loose threads in the album - the love songs, the songs that play on religion, the songs that play on politics - they're all set in the knowledge that this is just a flash in the pan. In some songs, that's a vision of terror. In others, it's where all the most important and beautiful things in life have their basis. It's a debut album... but the irony is it all comes across as a swansong."

Noah Earp, alongside a full band, will launch Disinheritor at an exclusive gig at renowned Melbourne venue The Toff in Town on October 27. Thrilled to finally put the record out into the world and to perform it live for the fans, Earp says, 'I really enjoy performing these songs live, partly because I don't do it that often, and partly because we always leave a bit of room to improvise. The band is solid and they know the songs so well, we really try and rein in on the moment using the words as the focal point. It's a big sound - I like to think of us as oversized chamber music. Folk musicians don't book us for gigs because we have too much stuff on stage!"

Stream single: THE RAW AND THE COOKED        
Watch the video: THE RAW AND THE COOKED    
Stream album: DISINHERITOR
Buy album: DISINHERITOR    

 

 

Interview with Noah Earp

Question: How would you describe your single, The Raw and the Cooked (listen here)?

Noah Earp: It's a conversation between two people, and also between two kinds of ideas. It starts all civilised and lovey-dovey, and then descends into the sort of chaos that makes Parliament Question Time seem tame in comparison.


Question: Can you tell us about your self-made film clip for The Raw and the Cooked (watch here)?

Noah Earp: It's just something I shot very simply and quickly with two friends and a DOP – it's designed to match the sort of black humour of the song. It's very slapstick. And it stars a pair of pink rollerskates. What else could you want?


Question: What should we expect from the album, Disinheritor (listen here)?

Noah Earp: It's a collection of very deliberate, brooding, emotional and lyrical songs set to a huge musical canvas, with all kinds of layers and textures to the arrangements. Expect to listen to it more than once to catch it all.


Question: Did you have any pre-conceived ideas about the music industry?

Noah Earp: When I was a kid, I thought you could just easily become the biggest star in the world, that people would just throw money and attention at you if you were halfway good. To be honest, I probably still think that.


Question: Do you write your own songs? What's your inspiration?

Noah Earp: Yeah, I always write my own. Inspiration can come from anywhere, so you have to pay attention to it. It's less a subject and more a feeling, or state of mind.

Question: What music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?

Noah Earp: Tons and tons. I'll listen to hip hop, classic rock, modern indie stuff, classical, jazz, music from India and Brazil, anything that has great musical ideas in it. In terms of local music I'm a big fan of the Drones. Their lastest album is their best yet, I reckon.


Question: What's next? Tour/Album/Single?

Noah Earp: I'll probably do some local shows, but the biggest thing on the agenda is to buckle down and write again – it's time for some new stuff.


Question: Was there a moment you contemplated throwing in the towel?

Noah Earp: I have that conversation with myself pretty much every day. And I think any artist who's serious should feel the same. You have to care about it, you have to constantly judge whether it's worth it. You can't Forest Gump your way to a masterpiece.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Noah Earp: That's a tough one. I like having finished a recording, having something definitive to show people. But the process is so long and painful, and the beauty of live is it's fleeting.


Question: What/who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?
Noah Earp: There were quite a few people, it was a gradual thing. But I think discovering The Beatles in my teens made me want to start writing songs, and discovering Bob Dylan made me want to write really important ones. The rest sort of took off from there.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Noah Earp: Most of the time the biggest barrier to getting somewhere turns out to be your own personality or set of habits. Having said that, I think the music industry in Australia is not really well geared towards the kind of music I like, which means it's all a bit of an uphill struggle. I mean, half of the best-selling albums here are unfathomable shite. There's even a Michael Buble Christmas album somewhere in there…


Question: What's a typical day like?

Noah Earp: It's all been a bit out of whack at the moment. I'll get up at 8am, walk to my day job and do that until 4.30pm, head to my next job and do that until 7 or 8, get home and do album-release things until late at night. But in the non-busy periods I have more time to listen to and write music and think about the meaning of life.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Noah Earp: Mainly meeting all the musicians, and getting to know them. Plus, it's a great lifestyle really. Doing what you love always is.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Noah Earp: I think a collaboration with Rihanna would be interesting. She's the only pop star diva who I feel like I get. She's got an edge.


Interview by Brooke Hunter