Noah James Mass Goes Back for More With Misery Winter

I don’t necessarily like winters. I hate the cold, the red clown nose, the gas bill, and the ritual of dressing like a human punching bag just to buy milk. Absolute chaos and misery. Fortunately, Noah James Mass has found a different flavour of misery to discuss, and his latest single, Misery Winter, brings guitars instead of thermal socks.

The title already tells you the weather inside this thing. “Time slips away / While standing still,” Mass sings early on. He knows he needs to leave, but something keeps pulling him back – so he turns around and walks the same road again. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

A Bit of Blues, A Lot of Guitar

Misery Winter goes straight for alternative rock, with fuzzy guitars, a bit of blues in the mix and plenty of groovy energy. Noah James Mass recorded it using his custom BilT guitar, with Justin Valentine on drums and Thomas Olk on bass. Mass is on vocals, guitars and keys, while Rick Carson handled the mix and master.

I loved how it all comes together. Punchy drums, gritty guitars and that kind of atmosphere around them that gives the song its groovy character. Then comes the hook: “Feels like a breeze / Amid misery winter.” I like that line. Funny how you can get so used to a bad situation that, after a while, you barely feel it anymore. We all have our inner winters, I guess, but it’s so damn nice when spring and summer finally take over.

Doing Things His Own Way

Noah James Mass also keeps the business side close to home. He’s registered with ASCAP as both writer and publisher and owns his master and composition rights directly. He likes doing things his own way. He writes, plays, produces and builds the whole thing from his own studio, jumping between guitars, piano, organ, strings and synths whenever the song calls for it.

And there’s already plenty more to hear – Misery Winter is track three on his seven-track self-titled debut album, Noah James Mass, released on August 11. If this is what Noah had waiting for us on his debut album, I reckon there’s plenty more where that came from. Personally, I’d stay close and see what he pulls out next.

Meanwhile, the lyrics keep digging. “Break me down / Take what you need” eventually gives way to pills, numbness and closing eyes until life returns. I found that part pretty heavy, especially because he just puts it out there without making a big drama out of it.

So, if you fancy getting properly acquainted with Noah James Mass, find him on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Bandcamp, and give Misery Winter a couple of spins while you’re there.

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