SORORITY NOISE have released “Nolsey” the dynamic and anthemic second single from Joy, Departed. The band will release Joy, Departed, their sophomore record and label debut via Topshelf Records on June 16th. Pre-orders for the record are available now via the Topshelf webstore.
โI donโt want to be in an emo band anymore,โ proclaims SORORITY NOISE frontman Cameron Boucher. โBut I have no problem with people calling us that, because in the strictest of senses, we are an emotionally driven band.โ
That, is Sorority Noise in a nutshell: part of a movement, but also discrete and determined to break free from the pack. Truth be told, the Connecticut-based quartetโBoucher, guitarist/vocalist Adam โScuffโ Ackerman, bassist/vocalist Ryan McKenna and drummer Charlie Singerโhave always operated a little differently than most of their peers.
For starters, Boucher attended the University of Hartford for jazz saxophone, while guitarist Ackerman studies acoustics and upright bass. But itโs not just their unorthodox musical chops that set the band apart in the underground punk scene. With the release of their Topshelf Records debut, JOY, DEPARTED, Sorority Noiseโrecently named one of the 100 Bands You Need to Know in 2015 by Alternative Pressโare poised to break out in a big way.
Joy, Departed is more than just the best iteration of Sorority Noise to date; the album also marks a creative shift for Boucher, who draws musical influence from a diverse crop of acts spanning Regina Spektor and jazz trumpeter Chet Baker to The Smiths and Broken Social Sceneโand previously spent time fronting screamo band Old Gray. In some ways, the singer says he approached the creative process like writing his very first album.
Boucher started Sorority Noise in late 2013 with friends as an outlet to explore musical styles outside his work in Old Gray. The group then recruited Ackerman and issued their debut full-length, Forgettable, in May 2014. Much buzzโand tours with rising stars Modern Baseball and The Hotelierโfollowed, as did a split 7โ with Somos and the arrivals of Singer (whom Boucher had played with in Old Gray) and McKenna.
Outside of pure proficiency, one of the more gripping elements of Sorority Noise’s musical direction is the bandโs willingness to speak of personal hardships, including the often-taboo topic of addiction on songs like the heart-wrenching album-closer โWhen I See You (Timberwolf).โ
“Thereโs so many people having drug problemsโand a lot of bands who play it safe and donโt want to talk about it,โ Boucher explains. โI think itโs important to be shown in modern music. I like to be honest about my past and talk about things that have had me down. As a lyricist, you are responsible for the people who care about your music.โ
Thatโs ultimately what makes Joy, Departed such an important album: Itโs life, warts and all, sung by someone whoโs been through it firsthand. Itโs not always rosy, but itโs real. Above all, itโs an album meant to be experienced as a body of workโnot single songs plucked piecemeal or shuffled on a streaming service. And for Boucher, he hopes it will show critics and fans alike Sorority Noise has something to say, something heโs willing to say as loudly as theyโll let him.
Tour Dates:
5/27 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Barbary#
5/28 – Amityville, NY @ The Amityville Music Hall#
5/29 – New York, NY @ The Studio at Webster Hall#
5/30 – Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East Upstairs#
6/02 – Ottowa, ON @ Ritual#
6/03 – Toronto, ON @ Hardluck Bar#
6/04 – Buffalo, NY @ The Waiting Room#
6/05 – Lakeland, OH @ Mahall’s 20 Lanes#
6/06 – Chicago, IL @ The Beat Kitchen#
6/07 – Detroit, MI – The Shelter#
7/11 – Joliet, IL @ Mojoes^
7/12 – Lansing, MI @ Common Ground Music Festival^
7/14 – Nashville, TN @ Exit In^
7/16 – St. Petersburg, Fl @ The State Theatre^
7/17 – Orlando, FL @ ย The Beach Theatre ^
7/18 – Wilmington, NC @ย Ziggy’s By The Sea^
7/20 – Norfolk, VA @ Norva^
7/21 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Sound Stage^
7/24 – Westbury, NY @ The Space at Westbury^
7/25 – Hartford, CT @ The Webster Theater^
7/26 – Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall^
7/27 – Clifton, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall^
7/29 – Toronto, ON @ Opera House^
7/30 – Rochester, NY @ Water Street Music Hall^
7/31 – Kalamazoo, MI @ District Square^
8/01 – Peoria, IL @ Limelight Eventplex^
8/02 – Indianapolis, IN @ Deluxe^# with Fireworks & Turnover
^ Motion City Soundtrack Commit This To Memoryย Tour w/ The Spillย Canvas
