Release Date: June 3, 2022 Genre: Punk Rock, Pop Punk, Pop Rock Label: Hopeless Records NOAHFINNCE (pronounced "no offence") is the musical pseudonym of Noah Adams -the 22-year-old rising punk rocker from the United Kingdom. Noah is back just eight months after his debut EP, STUFF FROM MY BRAIN, with his latest six-song offering, MY BRAIN AFTER THERAPY. Noah is currently leading a generation that is fed up with being told who and how they should be. Noah is an outstanding musician, being a virtuoso performer. As not only does Noah sing in his music, but he also performs the guitar, bass, drums, and ukulele you hear in all of his music. MY BRAIN AFTER THERAPY was once again produced by Stefan Abingdon (Selena Gomez, push baby) and Thomas Mitchener (Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, The Damned). Both were an integral part of the behind-the-scenes work of NOAHFINNCE's debut EP. Additionally, Sam Duckworth (Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly) also produces a track on the EP. MY BRAIN AFTER THERAPY begins off strong with "WORMS (In My Brain)," a stellar synth-laden track that blurs the lines between punk rock and pop-punk. The track really takes me back to mid-'00s pop-punk bands like Motion City Soundtrack, to name a singular band off the top of my head. "WORMS (In My Brain)" is about Noah's first therapy appointment and "worms" being a metaphor for trauma. The track was written last year when Noah had a flashback to something that happened to him when he was eleven years old, and he then realized from there that stuff from his past was still affecting him some ten years later. The second track on MY BRAIN AFTER THERAPY is "I JUST WON'T CARE." This tune is chock full of power riffs, and it's endlessly melodic, and it might be criminal that it's only two and a half minutes long. "I JUST WON'T CARE" is about life just being a chore, as Noah details within the track's lyrics. "I JUST WON'T CARE" is an easy standout of the entire six-song EP. Following up is the semi-acoustic, semi-electric number "BETTER DAYS." This tune mixes some pop-rock elements with punk rock, and that good old trusty synth gets dusted off once again. "BETTER DAYS" is the juxtaposition of its predecessor, "I JUST WON'T CARE." In "I JUST WON'T CARE," Noah chronicles his mental health declining. Whereas on "BETTER DAYS," he's detailing his need of wanting to feel normal again and that anyone in this same situation should not be afraid to ask for help to see those better days ahead.
"CHASING DAYLIGHT" sees Noah exposes himself in a new light. Stripping down to just the most subtle use of guitar, Noah sings softly -something not too common in his previous songs- and with some vocal harmonies mixed in as well. As the track builds, "CHASING DAYLIGHT" becomes a pop-rock masterpiece, which still has so much heart at its core throughout. After "CHASING DAYLIGHT," NOAHFINNCE gets dark with the raw, infectious, and quite melodic track, "TELL ME THAT YOU'RE OKAY." Delving into a darker sound and lyrical matter, Noah wrote "TELL ME THAT YOU'RE OKAY" about instability in his formative years that led him to suppress his emotions, which resulted in him valuing other people's feelings over his own. Closing out MY BRAIN AFTER THERAPY with a familiar sound as it begins with, Noah presents the lead single, "AFTER THERAPY," which is another synth-laden tune. Unlike "WORMS (In My Brain)," that blended elements of pop-punk and punk rock, "AFTER THERAPY" blurs the lines between synthy mid-'00s pop-punk and present-day mainstream pop-punk. The song without any synth would easily be in the same vein as artists such as Machine Gun Kelly, MOD SUN, and Willow. Additionally, "AFTER THERAPY" features Hot Mulligan's Chris Freeman -who also has a solo project under the moniker Extra Large Holiday Card. On the EP's lead single, the two tackle the stigma behind mental health and the power of therapy. Unlike NOAHFINNCE's debut EP, which is full of raw punk rock tunes that sounded like they were recorded with a DIY setup -not that there's anything wrong with that at all. However, the six tracks on MY BRAIN AFTER THERAPY are certainly more polished and well-rounded sonically, taking his music to new heights. He even strips back some layers and gets more personal than he has in the past. The six songs push him forward, breaking away from punk rock to a more pop and pop-punk influenced and focused sound without leaving his roots in the past. Noah still tackles sensitive issues to him and is on a trajectory that is only up. You're certain to hear so much more from NOAHFINNCE in the future. Be sure to presave or purchase MY BRAIN AFTER THERAPY physically here.
