WTF is Noise Rock?

Noise Rock.
When you hear those words, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
”Wouldn’t that just be… rock?”
”Is this an oxymoron? Rock’s don’t make noise.”

Or do you think of an artist/band, like Whirr, or Brainbombs?
Maybe it makes you think of a specific genre of music, or one related to it.
Or, maybe, it means absolutely nothing to you.

If you’re a regular listener of the station, you probably have already heard some noise rock, whether it be through some of the music recently added for airplay or through one of the new shows, “Brushing My Teeth To Merzbow” (which airs every Tuesday from 8-9 PM, and will be covering a whole lot more Noise/Ambient/etc. music than I’ll be able to in this blog, so check it out!) By the end of this, hopefully you’ll have a better idea of what the genre is, identifying it, and enjoy it a bit more.

What’s a better place to start than with the history and development of the genre? A lot of the influence that formed the Noise Rock genre came from genres like Post-Punk (think The Blackouts, The Cure, The Police), Hardcore Punk (Bands like Rat Cage, Misfits), Industrial (Artists like Z’ev, Einstürzende Neubauten, SPK), Grindcore (kinda like Godflesh, or Clown Core), but the main two genres it stems from were Noise (The Goslings, Ramleh) and No Wave (Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Mars).

Industrial was, in chronological order, probably the first genre of importance, and it is a very experimental, avant-garde genre that features mechanical, factory noises, which makes sense given the name of the genre.

The droning noises and the lack of conventional structure would be some of it’s defining features, and as parts of the Industrial crowd focused on that chaotic, deafening element of the music, it slowly formed into what is now known as Noise.

As mentioned before, the new stylistic emphasis of this genre was just to be loud, to make noise for the sake of it, using feedback loops, crazy guitar pedals, harsh droning pitches and vocals, pure discord.

At nearly the same time as Industrial music, Post-Punk and No Wave music were developing. No Wave went darker than it’s predecessors, being grainy, erratic, angry, and loose, like a simplified Punk movement, and as opposed to the more aggressive Punk, Post-Punk was experimental as well, delving deeper into more complex, repetitive structures, making way for Indie Rock, Emo, and more importantly, Noise Rock.

Hardcore Punk developed shortly after Post-Punk and No Wave, and became, essentially, Punk on steroids. The songs were faster, angrier, more eccentric, a speed which would only continue to skyrocket as Hardcore Punk influenced new genres, like Crossover Thrash and then Grindcore.

All of these styles and sounds would come together to form one cohesive genre known as Noise Rock. It’s all of the above, and more.

As Noise Rock’s edges softened over time, it began to sound a little less noisey, and a little more like conventional music again, turning into more Noise Pop-esque/Indie Rock stuff like this album from Whirr, and leading us into the age of dreampop/shoegaze/math rock. On the flip side of Noise Rock, that hardened, so to speak, and continued on the very fast/hardcore aspects of the music, is Grunge.

So, now that you have a better idea of what Noise Rock is, where it’s history is, and what it continued to influence, why not give the genre a gander? Here is a playlist I’ve made that includes bands and artists that fall under each genre talked about above.

Grandeur of Hair by The Goslings is unfortunately, not on Spotify, so I suppose it’s a good thing YouTube Red and YouTube Music exist now. I hope you enjoy the playlist and found some new music to listen to! Hopefully this breakdown has been helpful.

(Disclaimer: To other music patricians, I apologize in advance if there is some detail missed or muddled about your favorite genre. As it goes with more obscure genres that share many similarities, it can sometimes be difficult to properly label artists and albums into once specific genre. Normalize not paying attention to genre, and listening to music that just sounds good. They’re only good as general place markers, anyway.)

For more chaotic music similar to Noise Rock, don’t forget to tune into “Brushing My Teeth To Merzbow”, airing every Tuesday from 8-9 PM! And make sure to keep your radio tuned to KSUA, so you don’t miss a fleet of new mystery shows airing at entirely random times throughout the week.

Have a nice day!