LISTEN: Noga Erez – ‘End of the Road’

Exploring the thrill of the unknown through commanding beats and defiant lyrics, Noga Erez has shared her latest single ‘End of the Road’. Lifted from her highly anticipated second album KIDS, which is set for release via City Slang on 26th March, the Tel-Aviv based musician shrugs off the tight grip of human mortality on this catchy, sharply produced new offering.

Erez has been busy working alongside creative partner Ori Rousso since the release of her debut album Off The Radar in 2017. 2020 saw the pair release a string of superb singles including ‘NO News On TV’ and ‘You So Done’, but now the duo are set to blaze their unique trail once more on upcoming record KIDS. “These are songs about what we inherit from past generations, how we pass things on,” Erez explains about the album. “KIDS talks about humanity’s potential for both beauty and destruction.” Erez’s treatment of these binary opposites on tracks like ‘End of the Road’ makes for compelling listening.

Accompanied by a slick set of visuals directed by long-time collaborator Indy Hait, the song is a charged, slickly produced alt-pop gem that dares listeners to face their fears head on. “Walking towards the unknown with a smile. That’s what I wanted this video to be all about,” Erez reveals. “Nothing about this life is as predicted, so why am I so afraid of it? I wanted to inspire people to take a look at the magical potential of the unknown nature of life. I believe the relationship with what’s beyond our control needs to be changed. The fear of it can become anticipation. The video doesn’t show an all-optimistic journey. It shows a complex one. The beauty of being completely innocent at one moment, from militant to vulnerable and then in control. That’s true to the journey we all go through, and what this video represents for me.”

Watch the video for ‘End of the Road’ below.

Pre-order Noga Erez’s upcoming album KIDS here.

Follow Noga Erez on bandcamp, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Photo Credit: Dudi Hasson

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Noga Erez – ‘You So Done’

A resilient, emotionally charged offering from a defiant and uncompromising artist, Noga Erez has shared her new single ‘You So Done’ via City Slang. Accompanied by a stunning set of visuals directed by Indy Hait, the Tel Aviv based artist delves deep in to the memories left behind by a toxic relationship, making this her most personal release to date.

“At some point, exactly one year ago, I started flashing back to one of the darkest times in my life,” Erez explains. “I was young, incredibly confused and lonely. There was a moment during this period where I was actually so weak, insecure and in need of love that I was not able to step out of what I know now to be an emotionally abusive relationship.” Erez’s recognition may strike a chord with many listeners who have endured this kind of emotional isolation, and she wants them to know they are not alone and that there is always a way out.

Erez has channelled her fears, frustrations and un-nerving flashbacks into ‘You So Done’, which despite its context, radiates artistic confidence. Far removed from the joviality of previous lockdown inspired single ‘NO News On TV’, Erez’s distinctive sound has evolved further on this new single. “What a joke, what a joke you made me / What’s a Queen to a Joker, tell me” she taunts over spacious beats and warped electronics, her calm delivery belying any resentment she feels about her experiences.

Erez’s patience and willingness to explore her memories in the track and the accompanying video are what make both so impressive. Her third collaboration with Tel Aviv-based director Indy Hait, the visuals for ‘You’re So Done’ felt risky to Erez in the beginning. “Usually, I have an idea or I work with a director on an idea together. I decided to let [Hait] do his thing. He offered up an idea that included a robot and I immediately hated it. I was just not able to imagine how it wouldn’t come off as a science fiction video and felt it wasn’t my style. But after talking and tearing the idea apart, I realised that this is a truly meaningful character.

The robot in this video is actually not the violent character. Its job was to portray the act of violence through transferring the moves from an unseen character and helping them come alive visually. The video uses muscle memory as the ‘engine’ to that violent dance act, and muscle memory is something that fascinates me. Eventually this video is far from being science fiction, it is my most personal video to date.”

Watch the video for ‘You’re So Done’ below and follow Noga Erez on bandcamp, Facebook & Spotify for more updates

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Noga Erez – ‘NO News on TV’

A deceptively simple, buoyant exploration of how it might feel to disconnect from reality; Noga Erez has shared her latest single, ‘NO News on TV’. Erez penned the track during the covid-19 pandemic with her partner Ori Rousso, whilst continuing to work on her second album which is set for release later this year.

Polished production, catchy beats, and relatable lyrics combine to make ‘NO News on TV’ one of Erez’s most memorable tracks to date. She completed it without the usual distraction of emails, news and phone calls; and was therefore able to imagine a world with no access to “politics, money, grit, racism or violence.”

“I don’t wanna look at my phone anymore” she muses in the track’s opening line, fatigued by the constant flow of bad news. But rather than encouraging listeners to switch off from the world, Erez highlights that this apathy is an unhealthy privilege, and one that many communities do not have.

The Tel-Aviv based artist articulates why it’s so crucial not to turn away when we see injustice: “As I write these words people in America and all over the world are fighting for justice for the black community. It’s tragic and saddening that in this day and age we still have to deal with racism. But this fight is so extremely important, not just for the black community in the US but for any person who suffers from oppression and mistreatment.”

“I call this song ‘a children’s song for adults’ because it shows a naive, Utopian reflection of reality. I just needed to have a song like that. An escape song. [But] this isn’t time for escaping, it’s a time for confronting. Singing about how ‘everybody’s free’ right now is such an incredible dissonance for me. It says exactly what it needs to say: not everyone is free. Actually most of us aren’t, but some of us are literally, physically not free. And that has to change fast.”

Erez explores these themes in the beautifully shot video that accompanies the track, featuring an exquisitely decorated mansion and a devious bear playing drums. She elaborates on her characterisation and the visual metaphors she used: “I wanted to play a character that is very different from how I see myself, and the feeling of boredom playing a big part in a subconscious way throughout the video. The bear here is an intruder, a threat coming from the outside world and messing up the Utopia, and also salvaging the character from the underwhelming feeling of having no worries or trouble. Once she gets friendly and intimate with the intruder she instantly realises the outside world is too scary, too intense and she decides to get rid of it and go back to closing herself off from anything outside her beautiful, perfect boredom.”

Check out the video for ‘NO News on TV’ below and follow Noga Erez on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment

Track Of The Day: Noga Erez – ‘Worth None’ (feat. Camerata Orchestra)

If you thought Tel Aviv-based producer Noga Erez could be labelled predictable, think again. After her two knockout releases in 2018 – ‘Bad Habits’ and ‘Cash Out’ – the pop renegade has returned with a reworked version of her acclaimed 2017 album, Off The Radar. Titled RaDaR Reworked, Erez has teamed up with Israel’s esteemed Camerata Orchestra to create classical versions of her contemporary songs, and she’s shared a live video for ‘Worth None’ to celebrate the release (available now via City Slang).

Renowned artist Shlomi Shaban invited Erez to perform a concert with Jerusalem’s Camerata Orchestra in 2018, arranging the tracks with respected orchestrator, Eugene Levitas. The event took place at Tel Aviv’s prestigious Performing Art Center, and was captured on film and recorded for this special release. Together with her partner and co-writer Ori Rousso; Erez’s altruistic vocals are accompanied by exquisite strings and refined, understated percussion on this enigmatic re-working.

Speaking about her new project, Erez explans: “We weren’t looking to change the songs from my debut album, but were seeking to wrap them in a new, brighter gown, that will elevate the existing sounds and give it a shiny and majestic feel.” Listen to ‘Worth None’ below and keep your ears peeled for more new music from Noga Erez later in 2019.

Order Noga Erez’s RADAR Reworked here.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate CrudgingtonLeave a comment