Notre Noise is the brainchild of Canadian musician, producer, and video director Skutch Tully, former frontman of Toronto-based experimental punk trio Love Tapper. Drawing cues from artists who straddle the line between the avant-garde and the accessible- such as Devo, Love and Rockets, and early 70s Eno, Notre Noise made its debut in late 2021 with the single “Attention Shoppers,” produced by Tully and mixed by Leon Taheny (Arcade Fire, Death From Above 1979, Fucked Up). The cheeky music video to support the song required sourcing over 100 Barbie and Ken dolls, tiny model human organs, and miniature surgical equipment- all during the peak of the Covid lockdowns.
In addition to a few sporadic live performances, Notre Noise has released a handful of singles, most recently including 2024’s “The Apostle Paul” and “Swordsh.” Tully is currently in the studio working on new material slated for release in early 2025.
Notre Noise’s new single, “Swordfish,” finds the band throwing caution to the wind and running head-first into a brick wall of distortion. The artsy and noisy single sees the band fearlessly crafting complex melodies that crash into each other in a stunning demolition derby fashion, touching on nostalgic noise rock without falling victim to relying on tropes. The frantic yet hazy vocals perform lo-fi acrobatic stunts as they nuzzle themselves next to the searing guitars and neck-breaking drums. Upon pressing play, you feel like you are being swooped up in a tornado of noise. A chugging intro welcomes us but doesn’t prepare us for the off-kilter on-slaught of “Swordfish” as the unpredictable arrangement grows throughout the head-spinning journey. Notre Noise finds the middle ground between art rock and punk on “Swordfish,” an unforgettable single that reveals new layers with every listen.
“The melody for ‘Swordsh’ was written in an airport- a toddler was screaming at his mother, who’d just taken away his iPad. I was listening to some drum demos on headphones- 90s UK big beat style stuff I’d been working on- and the notes of the kid’s crying formed a perfect melody over top. The lyrics came a couple of nights later in a dream,” explains Tully. “When recording the track at the studio, in lieu of a traditional drum kit, we utilized scraps of sheet metal, vintage circus drums, and a giant WW2 artillery shell. It was a meticulous production and a challenging mix, but it was a really fun track to work on.”
