Zac Farro was always my favorite member of Paramore, so when he left with his brother after "Brand New Eyes," I was devastated. However, when he popped up on the map again, he had an alias and I was loving it. Although he has rejoined Paramore for their most recent album, Zac Farro will (low-key) always be HalfNoise to me.
HalfNoise has origins in Franklin, Tennessee. The solo project started in 2012, two days after Farro left Paramore. It originally consisted of Zac and his friend Jason Clark, under the name “Tunnel” but quickly changed to a true solo project. The project has two EPs: "Halfnoise" (2012) and "The Velvet Face" (2017), as well as two studio albums, "Volcano Crowe" (2014) and "Sudden Feeling" (2016). Zac has stated in the past that some of his influences for these albums and EPs are Jimmy Eat World, Radiohead, the Foo Fighters, and Death Cab for Cutie.
Of all that HalfNoise has released, the most successful album has been "The Velvet Face" EP, which is said to be because of Zac’s rekindling with Paramore. Conversely, the sound on the latest EP is that of an '80s pop party-truck overturned into a pile of '70s synth, making it different from everything HalfNoise has released and therefore more appealing.
The first song on the 2017 EP is “Scooby’s in the Back,” which has been part of Paramore’s setlist on their most recent tour for their album “After Laughter.” The song being played with Paramore gives the already eccentric song a twist of funk that it was missing before. The eerie beginning combined with the embrace of Taylor York’s guitar playing is that of an angel dancing up in heaven.
My personal favorite on the album, “French Class” helped me learn the numbers one through six in French. The song begins with “Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, BONJOUR!” The guitar melody paired with Zac’s voice is a beautiful harmony of breakdown and emotional lyricism. This song is much like the song “Velvet Face” in that it takes the lyrics and makes them bounce with the multiple instruments and Zac’s voice.
The two remaining songs, “Someday” and “As U Wave” are true masterpieces. "As U Wave" made me cry the first time I heard it and to this day I will never forget how it felt so perfect to cry along with Hayley Williams’ guest vocals. Similarly, “Someday” has faint instrumentals and a strong, creative lyricism that, while it didn’t make me cry, made me hopeful for the future.
As always, Zac and his solo project have impressed me. The music video for “Scooby’s in the Back” was just released, and you can find it down below!
