Interview: The Noisy’s Sara Mae unleashes hell with new deluxe album
The Noisy go the extra mile with a deluxe edition of their debut LP.
Deluxe editions of albums, including never-before-heard songs or acoustic iterations of older songs, are basically a requirement these days. Whether you’re Taylor Swift or an indie project like The Noisy, the machine always demands more, more, more. At the suggestion of their manager, The Noisy’s Sara Mae Henke mulled it over and concluded that a deluxe version of their debut LP could be essential to building “a stronger foundation for my project,” Henke tells B-Sides & Badlands. There’s also an element of getting “these songs some more shine” and continuing to “build out the music videos for the album, which has been such a delight for me! Having Jamie [Halliday]’s wildly generous support with Audio Antihero and putting out a physical cassette of this record means a lot to me! I think that was the dream the first time around that didn’t come to fruition, so this is just a really exciting time!”
With The Secret Ingredient is Even More Meat, out now, one of the tasty morsels Henke includes is a song called “Nightshade,” a bubbling, somber mid-tempo that was originally going to be featured on The Noisy’s second album. “But the storytelling felt so true to ‘More Meat,'” they share. “I wrote it at the end of the creative burst of energy of the recording process, and I like that it’s going to get to be included here. It’s a little country, which, I think, given that the album was written in Knoxville around so many absurdly talented folk and country musicians, just feels fitting.”
The country bent inside “Nightshade” is faint, yet it sends aftershocks into the system. There’s something dark, insidious, and resoundingly electric about it. “I used to beg to be the color of road maps, of car windows opening,” sings Henke. “I touched your shoulder, and you reached back for me / Was the air between us hungry, or was it only me?” That lingering and aching desire twists itself around Henke and the group, almost like Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors.
In our interview, Henke, who recently shared their favorite horror films, also discusses horror’s influence on their work and where the band is headed next!
What is it about horror storytelling that’s influenced you so much?
I guess I don’t stop to think about this too often because I’m just really drawn to it. As a kid, it all terrified me. I was a really scared child; my parents had to sort of walk me to different parts of the house at night because I wouldn’t be able to go by myself. I think horror storytelling is just really that powerful. The monsters that were in my head, that I saw on television, that kept me up at night, gave a fantastical shape to my pretty normal, everyday little kid anxiety. I’m interested in the way power dynamics in our lived lives can be distilled through monsters. Also, aesthetically, it’s just way more compelling!
Does it impact your songwriting in any way?
More and more as time goes on. I think when I was starting to write songs, it was very confessional, collecting details of my daily life, and interpersonal heartbreak. Now, especially as I move towards LP2 and have been creating this visual world for ‘Even More Meat,’ I can start to embody these larger-than-life characters. We can have an emotional experience in the songs without me dictating to you exactly what happened. It can take on these more supernatural elements.
Does this release complete the album’s story in any significant way?
Each song or addition feels like it underlines something about the touring/recording process, and also adds to the history of this album coming out once I moved from Knoxville to Philly. I got to work with Philly friends on the deluxe – Daniel Sohn producing, Nate Kim and Max Glazier, and Jon Furson writing and performing different parts for this. I made “Neckline” to sound like Chappell Roan because we used to cover “Pink Pony Club” on tour. “Tony Soprano” being the last video to drop for this feels just so right. The name of the album comes from something my Gramma said once, and “Tony” was written for her. Just really full circle
Do you ever feel pressured to keep moving on to what’s next?
Absolutely. I think about this all the time. I’m desperate to keep writing because it’s my favorite part of the whole process, but then I remember that I’m not a machine, and I don’t have to just keep producing in order to be in my practice. Working on your artistry can look so many different ways — reading, going to shows, being a part of your community, seeing your friends, journaling, are also necessary parts. I think in this next album process, it’s important to me that the music puts me more squarely in my life, rather than being some escape from it.
Where’s your muse taking you for the second album?
The clown elders are guiding LP2. [laughs] I’m really excited to dig into performance style a little more, keep building these larger-than-life characters in my songs, and now that I’ve worked so hard to get better at my instruments, really challenge myself on the technical aspects of the songs. I want to be outside of my comfort zone, and I want the songs to keep feeling alive in that way!
