HalfNoise Returns with Lean, Psyched-Out Jam “Who Could You Be” | See Them TONIGHT @ Basement East, Saturday @ Grimey’s

By now you should be more than familiar with HalfNoise, the solo musical vehicle of Paramore drummer Zac Farro, a longtime local fave and friend of the site. Formed and cultivated between Farro’s 2010 departure from Paramore and his return to the renowned group in 2017, HalfNoise has, so far, released two full-length albums and three EPs, navigating the realms of ambient, indie rock, synthpop, and groovy, retro psychedelic rock. In a swift followup to 2017’s The Velvet Face EP, HalfNoise dropped his latest, Flowerss, last year, which keeps with the analog, psyched-out vibe but also reincorporates some of the ambient, layered feel of prior releases (like 2014 full-length Volcano Crowe and 2016 followup Sudden Feeling).

Sticking with that same prolific schedule (and now with some free time as Paramore take a breather), Farro dropped his latest single, “Who Could You Be,” last week, ahead of planned outings in Nashville (tonight, March 15 at The Basement East and tomorrow, March 16 for a free, all ages in-store performance at Grimey’s), as well as New York and LA, which also promise art and friendship (something his other band values as well).

A concise jam, clocking in at just under two minutes, “Who Could You Be” keeps with the psych-rock progression of recent HalfNoise releases, embodying retro, nostalgic tones and sensibilities while still maintaining slick, catchy, modern production, giving particular clarity to the layered, harmonic vocals and groovy guitar tones. While past releases have had more obvious points of influence and reference, HalfNoise has, over the past couple of records, really carved out their own sound and musical identity, and, in that trend, “Who Could You Be” sounds like a HalfNoise song first and foremost, and a particularly inspired one.

“There are very few moments in life where it feels like lightning strikes you and you cannot do anything besides react,” explains Zac. “‘Who Could You Be’ was a lighting moment. Daniel our keyboard player and I went up to my studio in my house and I told him I had a riff, 4 hours later we had the song finished, music, lyrics and all. It all stems from initial reaction. ZAP”

While a new EP or LP has not been formally announced, we can expect one to arrive this year, as HalfNoise are also slated to play a string of festivals and overseas dates throughout the summer. In addition to new HalfNoise music, Farro has also apparently been working on a project with another local artist we adore, Becca Mancari, and, after honing his visual and photo work in recent years, will release his first photo book, In Transit, later this month, with a gallery show in Brooklyn scheduled to celebrate the occasion.

Hear “Who Could You Be” below, snag $15 tickets to this evening’s show while they last, and be sure to get to Grimey’s early for tomorrow’s 5 p.m. in-store!