Standout Track: “Orphane,” which drops yearning, quasi-devotional vocals over a pounding, post-punk rhythm section. “So don’t leave me baby/I have no mother,” sings vocalist/bassist Blue S. Moon while drummer Vivianne A. Njoky and guitarist Aissa Arroyo-Hill put down a solid bed of propulsive beats and droney guitar. It sounds like Pylon dropping in to lead an energetic church service.
Musical Motivation: “Orphane” popped out more or less fully formed during Noon:30’s very first jam session. “I had been playing with another band where I felt very constrained,” says Petworth resident Arroyo-Hill, while explaining her guitar work on the track. “This was my liberation, as far as being able to experiment with noise levels.”
No Pretties for You: Noon:30 played its first official gig at last year’s Artomatic, but the band’s real debut performance was a workshop-style show at La Carbonara, a restaurant on 9th Street NW. Arroyo-Hill says the guy organizing the show went next door to DC9 and pulled people into their performance: Among those grabbed were members of Atlanta psych-rock band All the Saints, who were performing at the club that night. “They gave some really awesome constructive criticism,” says Arroyo-Hill. “They were just like, ‘Don’t give up, add more bass.’ That’s one of the things we definitely took up.” Not all comments were quite as insightful. “Somebody also wrote that we’re easy on the eyes, so we made it harder for people to look at us,” says Arroyo-Hill. “I grew a beard and mustache,” says Moon.
Noon:30 performs Sunday, May 10, at the Red and the Black