Noir Disco is the project of Brothers Nolan and Carter Dickson. Recently they dropped their new single, “21st Century Hipster Man” off their debut LP NOW! 2073, which is out December 3, 2021, on Terrible Records. The duo’s sound is inspired by the Film Noir aesthetic – that fuses punk with modern psych-rock, cosmic country, indie rock and electronica.

The Dickson brotherS grew up in a disciplined Catholic household in the Chicago suburbs. When they weren’t goofing around, delivering hymns like Les Misérables songs in church, the pair were practicing as part of a triathlon team. It’s fair to say the discipline involved in both religion and sports was sometimes difficult to endure. “Catholicism and elite athletics are two very painful scenarios for a child to go through,” Nolan explains, “but I would say it’s where we got our knack for fantasy because our imagination allowed us to escape from reality.”

The brothers, who sing and play alongside friend Henry Miller, the band have already developed a cult fanbase. However, NOW! 2073 feels like their fullest project yet, marking the band’s evolution into a new freeform way of creating. “The title track [“2073”] was the first time we made a song just by passing the microphone around and making up lyrics on the spot,” admits Nolan.

“It felt like a magical moment and [after that] nearly all the songs were created through the spirit of improvisation. In fact, that’s the only way we make music now. Me and Carter live in one big constantly evolving joke and, with this album, we wanted to bring people into it.”

Taking direct inspiration from artists like David Bowie, Kate Bush, and The Doors, the new music similarly submerges you in cartoonish art-pop landscapes (think “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” if it was made by Arcade Fire during their Reflektor era… and you’re not too far off) that seem to evolve in real-time.

“That lyric is about how much I rely on external validation online. I am really acknowledging it and owning it!” says Nolan. “As much as we love our dad, he was a preachy motherfucker, so we are very sensitive to that. Instead, we try to identify with societal issues so they feel more approachable and less scary. It’s like… we’re all in this together and it’s okay to feel this way, you know?”

The brothers, who finish each other’s sentences and are only two years apart, grew up in a disciplined Catholic household in the Chicago suburbs. When they weren’t goofing around, delivering hymns like Les Misérables songs in church, the pair were practicing as part of a triathlon team. It’s fair to say the discipline involved in both religion and sports was sometimes difficult to endure. “Catholicism and elite athletics are two very painful scenarios for a child to go through,” Nolan explains, “but I would say it’s where we got out a knack for fantasy because our imagination allowed us to escape from reality.”

He continues: “I remember going home from church in the family car and my Dad would always put Abbey Road on. When me and my brother heard “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” the wit and the harmonies just opened up our minds, completely. We wanted to make music like that, too, and it wasn’t long until we were making music together in our bedroom, learning how to play all the instruments. I guess we’ve never really stopped experimenting.

Our sweet spot is albums filled with songs that are like 5 minutes long, where you can really submerge yourself in the different worlds and escape your reality. Our modern influences are people like Tame Impala, Arcade Fire, Mac DeMarco, LCD Soundsystem, and Ariel Pink, who all do the same sort of thing. They all make you think but also smile.”

And of the band’s name, Nolan reveals: “We liked the idea of a band name that was a genre in itself. Film noir is one of the most superior and artistic facets of cinema, while disco is all about losing yourself on the dancefloor. I like the idea of combining those two very different things. I guess the name quickly shows you we’ll never conform to any one genre. It’s about those juxtapositions that we love exploring.”

Noir Disco
NOW! 2073
December 3, 2021
Out via Terrible Records

1. WorkCHANGEChangeWORK
2. 21st Century Hipster Man
3. Static
4. Television
5. Los Angeles
6. Hungry
7. Taking Off
8. Heart Pressure
9. 2073
10. Pleasure Pain
11. Getting Old
12. Take Me
13. Settin’ Sons

Pre-order Noir Disco’s NOW! 2073 HERE