FFO: Dinosaur Jr., Hüsker Dü, Doug Martsch
Hayes Noble is a 19 year-old artist / guitarist currently based in Spokane, WA who plays in the style of some true indie / punk legends like J Mascis, Doug Martsch or Bob Mould. Today he’s announcing his sophomore LP, As It Was, As We Were (out June 21 on 2-2-1 Press) and has shared the first single/video from it, “Nothing Else.”
“Nothing Else” was written over the summer of 2023 and captures the wide range of Noble’s musical influences. A blend of melodious noise making, timeless coming-of-age lyrics, and explosive drum breaks, Hayes continues to evolve and refine his craft, and is sure to leave a lasting impression on listeners. According to Noble:
“This song is really just me reminiscing about growing up in a small town. There wasn’t really much to do, but looking back I enjoyed it. I miss it. It’s funny how little moments made with your friends can morph into core memories that define a specific time in your life. As far as the sound, on tour someone came up after a show and said, ‘you sound like Dinosaur Jr. meets 90s screamo.’ I took that as a compliment. Those influences are definitely there, especially on this song.”
On his sophomore album, As It Was, As We Were, Hayes Noble continues to refine his brand of fuzzed-out punk rock, with increasingly dynamic songwriting. Recorded and mixed by Luke Tweedy (William Elliott Whitmore, Appleseed Cast, Erase Errata), and mastered by Carl Saff, As It Was, As We Were captures the nineteen-year-old’s talent for fusing melodious noise with timeless coming-of-age lyrics.
Sheets of feedback collide with driving beats and abrasive hooks. Blurred vocals move from subdued delivery to impassioned shouts, compounding the youthful sincerity. Recorded two months after his high school graduation, As It Was, As We Were is the story of hot summer nights, first loves, and teenage desolation in the driftless hills surrounding the upper Mississippi. It’s the realization that you’re out of step with the weekend cowboys and keg party rollers, just trying to find some other outcasts and weirdos in a town the size of a dinner plate. Hayes presents us with a Gen Z snapshot of leaving home, and the suffocating bleakness glimpsed on the horizon. With artwork by Mike Scheer (Built to Spill, Treepeople) As It Was, As We Were continues Noble’s trajectory as an emerging talent in a new generation of guitar-driven indie rockers.
Noble’s 2023 debut, Head Cleaner, showed off a massive tube-driven wall of sound. Recorded and mixed on 2″ tape by Daytrotter co-founder and analog guru Patrick Stolley, Head Cleaner captured the wide range of Noble’s musical influences, combining earsplitting shoegaze and post-hardcore, with a nod to the guitar driven noise rock that burst out of the mid-80s punk scene. The album recalls the sounds of legendary indie guitar heroes, with shards of Dinosaur Jr., Polvo, and Superchunk, breaking through a bedrock of overblown punk rock.
Head Cleaner received positive reviews from multiple national outlets with Kurt Morris writing in Razorcake, “it amazes me that Noble is only seventeen…for a first album, this has a helluva lot going for it and any fans of the slacker, fuzzy guitar sound will dig this.” Maximum Rocknroll praised the “shoegaze wall of sound” and asserted “the songs are tight and engaging…a warm and fuzzy good listen.” Glide Magazine called Head Cleaner “a fresh sounding nod to the likes of late 80’s post-punk greats like Sonic Youth and Husker Dü with plenty of originality to spare.”
In support of the album, Noble spent five weeks on the road during 2023, traveling the DIY circuit backed by his little brother Everett, on bass, and father Brett, on drums. The trio have bounced around from Pittsburgh to Seattle, playing to small crowds in sweaty basements, coffee shops, and bars. Whether at a rock club or rental hall, Hayes and the family make for a strange sight – an intergenerational noise machine smashing through a set fast and tight. Gaining a reputation for a monstrous sound and energetic performance, Noble drives sound guys mad, but reestablishes the punk show as a full-body experience.
Hailing from northwest Illinois, and now residing in Spokane, Washington, Hayes Noble has built a solid following since home recording his first demos in 2021. Growing up in small-town rural America, with not much to do and nowhere to go, Hayes spent much of his time in the basement blasting records and working out songs. Raised on a steady diet of obscure noise and classic cuts, the multi-instrumentalist comes from a home where DIY punk ethics laid the groundwork, music plays a central role, and tastes span the decades. From 60s soul to various shades of metal, and everything in between, the stacks of CDs and vinyl have provided influences cutting across genres and eras. Drawing on inspiration from artists as wide ranging as Todd Rundgren, Ian MacKaye, and Doug Martsch, Hayes is building a sound drawn from home and abroad, yet uniquely his own. This isn’t throwback cosplay, but that age-old phenomenon that occurs when bored kids find guitars and the magic of pedals and loud amplifiers, pushing beyond influences to make something raw and exciting.
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“Got Over It” was written in late spring of 2023. According to Hayes, “My girlfriend and I broke up. It was just a real bummer for the both of us due to a lot of external issues. A complicated mess. We still saw each other everyday, had classes together, and sat next to each other and everything. Anyways, as time passed, I slowly felt her get over me, but I was still stuck in the same place. It sucked. Eventually the day came where I realized she was interested in someone else. I got home from school, went up to my room, sat down with my guitar, and wrote this song.” Recorded and mixed by Luke Tweedy (William Elliott Whitmore, Appleseed Cast, Erase Errata) in his barn in rural Iowa.
