| Pop Noir | |
| Origin: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genre: | Dance-rock, indie pop |
| Years Active: | 2004–present |
| Label: | Fantastic Heat |
| Current Members: |
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Pop Noir is a Los Angeles-based indie dance-rock duo formed by British-born twin brothers Joe and Luke McGarry in 2004, while they were 16-year-old students at the Orange County High School of the Arts. The band began to build a following in the indie clubs of Southern California, and did a brief tour of Europe in late 2006, showcasing at In the City in Manchester,[1] and playing dates in London[2] and Paris.
The band has supported Doves,[3] [4] Sebastien Tellier,[5] The Wombats,[6] The Pinker Tones,[7] A Certain Ratio, Iglu & Hartly,[8] Fitz and the Tantrums[9] and Robyn, and as of late 2015, played more than 300 shows.
Pop Noir has been featured on a number of compilation CDs, including Mr. Shovel's Check One... Two, Volume III, SweetFA3 (a charity album in aid of Joe Strummer's Strummerville),[10] and the original SweetFA compilation, which was given free as a covermount on UK music magazine Artrocker.[11]
The track "Girls of Prey" was released exclusively on RCRDLBL in the summer of 2008,[12] where it debuted in the Top 10, alongside Santigold, Moby and Tokyo Police Club.[13] "Girls of Prey" was featured in the "Extreme" level of the hugely popular iPhone and iPod Touch application Tap Tap Revenge 2, which consistently topped the download charts.[14]
The McGarrys are the sons of cartoonist and illustrator Steve McGarry, who previously designed record sleeves for Joy Division, Slaughter & the Dogs, Jilted John and John Cooper Clarke. The brothers are award-winning designers and illustrators in their own right. In 2007, they became the youngest-ever recipients of prestigious Silver T-Square Awards[15] from the National Cartoonists Society. Previous recipients include Milton Caniff, James Thurber, Mort Walker, Bil Keane, and two U.S. Presidents, Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower.[16] Operating under the name of Fantastic Heat Brothers and primarily designing around the cartoon art of Luke, they have created the ongoing design aesthetic of Tenacious D's Festival Supreme[17] and the annual FYF Fest[18] in Los Angeles and amassed a client list that includes Matador Records, Universal Republic, Myspace and Vans.[19] The brothers have created animated videos for the bands Guster[20] and The Zambonis[21] among others, and in late 2015, IFC began airing a series of Festival Supreme shorts created by the pair. Luke has been featured in a number of art exhibitions in both the U.K.[22] and U.S.,[23] including his own month-long exhibition at Cartoon Network,[24] and in 2013, was nominated for the Illustrator of the Year Award from the National Cartoonists Society.[25] He has also twice appeared with Jack Black and Tenacious D at signing events at San Diego Comic Con, in 2013 and 2014.[26] [27]
Pop Noir's debut single "DIY' was released on the Fantastic Heat label on November 16, 2009,[28] and debuted at No. 5 on the FMQB Specialty Radio charts.[29] The video for "DIY" was Spinner.com's Video of the Day,[30] and was voted mtvU's "Freshmen of the Week" in March 2010[31] following which, the video spent six weeks in rotation on the channel. "DIY" was featured on a number of TV show soundtracks, including episodes of the ABC show The Gates[32] and Fly Girls.
The band played a handful of dates in 2011 and 2012, including a Sold Out show at The Troubadour (West Hollywood, California) in Los Angeles with The Wombats,[33] before re-emerging in January 2013 with their second single on Fantastic Heat, a reworking of New Order's "Temptation". The track debuted at No. 2 on the FMQB Specialty Radio Charts.[34] To coincide with the release, Pop Noir played a month-long residency at The Constellation Room in Santa Ana, California.[35] The accompanying video, which was created, filmed and edited entirely by the brothers themselves, features multi-plane images of Joe playing all the instruments on the track, behind vocalist Luke.[36]
In September 2013, the band's third release, the Jealousy EP on Fantastic Heat, debuted at No. 8 on the FMQB Speciality Radio Charts, tied with Belle & Sebastian and Nine Inch Nails.[37] The video, shot in Los Angeles on location at The Echo, The Standard Hotel and the streets of Downtown LA, was premiered by UK music tastemaker Clash (magazine).[38] [39] To promote the release, Pop Noir headlined The Echo in Los Angeles and played live on numerous local radio stations.[40] [41]
The video for the band's fourth release on Fantastic Heat, "Don't Fool Yourself", premiered on April 30, 2015, with an Artist of the Day feature on Myspace[42] that unveiled a video, shot entirely on a GoPro camera, of the brothers driving the deserted streets of Downtown Los Angeles in the early hours. Released three weeks later, the "Don't Fool Yourself" single[43] debuted at No. 18 on the FMQB Charts and went top 20 on the KKBB Charts.[44] Pop Noir subsequently filmed an acoustic version of the track[45] for the UK'S Student Pocket Guide, along with a cover of QT's single "Hey QT".[46]
In September, 2018, Pop Noir released the single "White Jazz", which debuted in the FMQB Top 20. The accompanying video was shot entirely on location in Tokyo, Japan.[47]
In December, 2023, Pop Noir released the single "New Year's Day", a cover of the 1983 U2 song.[48]
| Year | Title | Track listing[49] |
|---|---|---|
New Year's Day[50]
| 1. New Year's Day – 5:05 | |
White Jazz[51]
| 1. White Jazz – 4:06 2. White Jazz (Acoustic) – 3:46 | |
Don't Fool Yourself[52]
| 1. Don't Fool Yourself – 4:24 2. Don't Fool Yourself (Instrumental) – 4:21 | |
Jealousy[53]
| 1. Jealousy – 4:16 2. Bang the Drum – 4:36 3. Thick As Thieves – 3:29 Bang the Drum Slowly – 3:07 | |
Temptation[54]
| 1. Temptation – 5:18 2. Temptation (Radio Edit) – 3:45 | |
DIY[55]
| 1. DIY – 3:28 2. In Like a Lion – 3:28 3. DIY (DIY Not? Remix) – 3:42 (digital only) | |
Girls of Prey[56]
| 1. Girls of Prey – 3:53 | |