NOAH STIES PAYS TRIBUTE TO HEARTBREAK AND HOME ON “SUNGOLD”
The bond between a person and the area they grow up in transcends mere location; it holds the spirit of their childhood and molds their identity as people. Noah Sties drew from his surroundings, and recent breakup, to create his first album, Sungold, named after the street that raised him. The nine-track record delves into the whirlwind of emotions that follow the end of a relationship, but it is anything other than as simple as that.
From growing up on Switchfoot and Owl City, to discovering Foster the People, Vampire Weekend and a love for indie tunes, Sties has always had a passion for music. Fast forward ten years, and Sties went from singing in church to launching his music career.
In 2020 with EP Our Conscious Hours, Sties learned how to self-produce and share his art with the world. Now he’s mastered his craft, pulling inspiration from a wide array of artists including Dijon, Hippo Campus and Dominic Fike — who played a large role in the record’s creation.
“At first, I was frustrated that my music didn’t sound exactly like my influences, I’m really thankful for my sound now,” admits Sties. “It isn’t a matter of intentionally crafting a sound, no matter what I make it, it ends up sounding like me.”
Photo by Noah Sties
Accompanying the announcement of his freshman album, Sties released his leading single “BINGO”, followed by “DUPONT” early in the new year. The duo contrasts sonically, but they couldn’t be more perfect together.
“BINGO” characterizes moving on from a relationship, a message backed by convulsively danceable drums and raucous vocals.
“I wanted to shock people with ‘BINGO’ a bit, I love punk music and skate culture, I wanted to release something different,” said Sties.
Photo by Noah Sties
“DUPONT” takes a different approach to vocalizing post-breakup feels. After being rewritten thrice, the track is Sties’ magnum opus.
“"‘DUPONT’ remained one of my favorites throughout the whole process, it sounded the most like the songs that inspired it,” he said, proudly.“‘I saw your billboard and I lost our war’” is probably my favorite [lyric].”
Sungold feels like golden, sun-drenched memories, a friend you know all too well, it feels like being a teenager and having fun. It’s impossible to summarize the record into a singular sentence, and it would be wrong to.
As it’s meant to be listened to sequentially, Sungold stands as its own entity, an immersive story that unfolds throughout a 29:17 time span. The tracklist boasts Sties’ ability for sonic diversity with songs to mosh to, songs for your next dinner party and songs to impress your friends about your musical obscurity. The title track opens with a voice memo of Sties’ mother, it only takes a few seconds for listeners to get a sense of what Sungold truly means.
Photo by Noah Sties
“I use it as a metaphor for comfort, a sense of home, peace, etc. It’s an umbrella term. For example, your childhood home is sungold, your comfort person, whatever you feel grounded in,” explained Sties.
The record is intimate as Sties shares glimpses of his inner thoughts and places he holds dear. Referencing spots like West Grove Hall, and naming tracks after towns, listeners are invited into a vivid exploration of Sties’ life, getting to know the nuances of places that hold significance as if they were the ones who lived it. The record is familiar and yet joltingly new – like going down a new road in your favorite place, and seeing where it takes you. Sungold is out now, give it a listen and become a part of its world.
