A reputation for pulling radio-ready hooks
As the world takes notice of Noah Chenfeld, (songs like 2019’s “I Love Being Tired” has hit 1m streams, others aren’t far behind) the argument can be made that the notice is somewhat overdue.
His corner-store casual vibe and scene-renowned reputation for pulling radio-ready hooks out of nearly any instrument in the room have landed him on pop-pedigreed liner notes and in buzzy touring line-ups all around his native NYC for over a decade. Even without the multiple nationwide tours with his downtown buzz-rock outfit, Rebounder, a tour t-shirt with his recent performances would require biblical-size text and a jeweller’s loupe to read.
While much of his work has a distinct, retro-facing power pop sound woven throughout, he’s perhaps best known for his chameleonic ability to effortlessly change stylistic lanes between the wide-eyed and chord-dense singer-songwriter palette of his solo career and his ‘eyes-on-the-prize’ style of alt-pop hit-making. Rebounder’s aptly titled “Change Shapes” comes to mind, which he co-wrote with Jesse Rutherford of The Neighbourhood, a frequent collaborator and ardent proponent of Chenfeld’s ringer talents.
His prodigious reputation has always been bolstered by a genuinely impressive knack for freestyling. An overwhelming response to one particular clip of him flexing the inexplicably underutilized skill on a live episode of the podcast How Long Gone has followed him around for months.
Same Streets, Different City, his new LP of ‘born-here-still-here’ bonafide, is a rough-edged extension of his unabashedly grand approach to songcraft. His style has always challenged the oblique language and sonics of his peers, but on this latest record, his listenability levels up into an all-enveloping popscape with lyrics that roll up their sleeves and reach into the beating heart of each track. The themes are grand, his swings are wide, and the influence is classic. No surprise then, that his recent cover of ‘Born To Run’ received a nod from The Boss himself on his SiriusXM station.
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