[ALBUM REVIEW] Constellation - New Age Noise Collective
New Age Noise Collective (Image: @newagenoisecollective)
Get your heads out of the clouds and into the stars! New Age Noise Collective will be taking listeners on an astrological journey in their latest compilation album, Constellation. Supported by Parramatta’s Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE), the music group spotlights female, trans, and non-binary artists across Western Sydney within the malaise of the male-dominated music scene. More than music, the musos behind New Age Noise also dabble into several other outlets of creativity, including photography, graphics, and video.
Constellation is an apt title for the album as it is, quite literally, a constellation of different music genres. The first track, Abstract Symmetry by Georgia Marley is a five-minute dream pop tune. The soft, spacey synths is almost reminiscent of music duo Aivi & Surasshu. Against the evening synths, a reverberating piano ripples from ear to ear against a voice sung through an almost otherworldly robotic filter. Georgia’s lyrics express a deep romantic longing for someone with selfless, poetic metaphors to match. ‘I wish I can drink a cup of you,’ she laments in the opening, ‘but my veins are filled with wine.’
From this track alone, I assumed Constellation would more or less follow the same spirit of dreamy, evening synths. Yet the further I explore into the endless caverns of this album’s universe, the more diverse and colourful these all-star musos appear to be. Each track truly harnesses its own unique voice — from the astro hip-hop beats of Biggie Deez’s Spaced Out, and the melancholic, alt-rock riffs found in Alessandra Arias’s Move On, to the poppy, colourful ostinatos in Vicky Zeng’s Grow.
The more otherworldly realms of New Age Noise can be found in their instrumental tracks. Gimmick Ciity Popularity by Del Lumanta + Milkffish is texturally rich in sparkling yet psychotic leads, electrifying bass line, and sharp snares. Weaved between these layers of sounds are echoes of voices and conversations, virtually unintelligible. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Kosharspace Is A Vacuum feels deeply contemplative in its ambience and fluttering percussions, ringing with droning tones and an ohm-like chant.
Then there’s Nitrous Bliss by Artison, which sits at neither end. This four-minute tune is a wild ride from start to finish, immersing listeners into a rhythmic rollercoaster ride. With the fusion of syncopating guitars, groovy piano riffs, and saxophones resurrected from the Seinfeld theme, the funkadelic track might be Sydney’s non-male answer to funk bands like Vulfpeck and Snarky Puppy.
(Image: @newagenoisecollective)
