Pop Noir
Pop Noir: Joe and Luke McGarry
Pop Noir: Joe and Luke McGarry
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresDance-rock, indie pop
Years active2004–present
LabelsFantastic Heat
Members
  • Joe McGarry
  • Luke McGarry
Websitepopnoir.org

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]

Discography

Releases

Year Title Track listing[49]
2023
 New Year's Day[50] 1. New Year's Day – 5:05
2018
 White Jazz[51] 1. White Jazz – 4:06
2. White Jazz (Acoustic) – 3:46
2015
 Don't Fool Yourself[52] 1. Don't Fool Yourself – 4:24
2. Don't Fool Yourself (Instrumental) – 4:21
2013
 Jealousy[53] 1. Jealousy – 4:16
2. Bang the Drum – 4:36
3. Thick As Thieves – 3:29
Bang the Drum Slowly – 3:07
2013
 Temptation[54] 1. Temptation – 5:18
2. Temptation (Radio Edit) – 3:45
2009
 DIY[55] 1. DIY – 3:28
2. In Like a Lion – 3:28
3. DIY (DIY Not? Remix) – 3:42 (digital only)
2008
 Girls of Prey[56] 1. Girls of Prey – 3:53

References

  1. ↑ In the City 2006 Preview, Designer Magazine
  2. ↑ Shot2Bits
  3. ↑ Archived May 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Stereogum Review and slide show, 5/15/09
  4. ↑ OC Weekly slide show, May 18, 2009
  5. ↑ "Pop Noir backstage with Sebastien Tellier". Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2009. RCRD LBL: Pop Noir backstage with Sebastien Tellier
  6. ↑ Archived November 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine The Tape Is Not Sticky, 6/10/08
  7. ↑ "Pop Noir". Archived from the original on January 6, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2009. Al Borde Magazine, 6/2/09
  8. ↑ The Rock N Roll Supershow, 5/9/09
  9. ↑ "Tonight in Rock: Jon Brion, Broken Bells, Fitz & the Tantrums, One Trick Pony: LAist". Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved September 24, 2015. LAist, 2/19/10
  10. ↑ Strummerville.com, SWEETFA3
  11. ↑ Archived April 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine ARTROCKER 80, August 2008
  12. ↑ L.A. Record, 6/12/08
  13. ↑ Archived July 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine RCRD LBL Top Ten Week of June 15, 2008
  14. ↑ The Business Insider, 3/5/09
  15. ↑ The Daily Cartoonist, 5/28/07
  16. ↑ Archived February 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine National Cartoonists Society, Awards
  17. ↑ TimeOut, 6/8/15
  18. ↑ FYF Official Tumblr
  19. ↑ PR Log, 10/21/13
  20. ↑ Guster "This Is How It Feels To Have A Broken Heart"
  21. ↑ The Zambonis "I'm A Puck"
  22. ↑ BBC News Manchester, 1/25/13
  23. ↑ Archived September 25, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Nerd Geek Feelings, 6/21/15
  24. ↑ The Robots Voice, 5/7/14
  25. ↑ Archived September 25, 2015, at the Wayback Machine OC Weekly, 5/7/13
  26. ↑ SDCC Blog, 7/22/14
  27. ↑ Reuben.org, 7/21/14
  28. ↑ Rock Steady
  29. ↑ "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Nielsen Ratings, Music News and more!". Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2015. FMQB SubModern Report
  30. ↑ Archived July 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Spinner.com, 3/31/10
  31. ↑ mtvU, 3/26/10
  32. ↑ "The Gates - Music Lounge - ABC.com". Archived from the original on December 12, 2010. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  33. ↑ Archived September 25, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Troubadour Calendar, 2011
  34. ↑ Archived September 25, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Echoplex artist bio, 2013
  35. ↑ Archived September 25, 2015, at the Wayback Machine OC Weekly, 1/7/13
  36. ↑ Pop Noir "Temptation"
  37. ↑ FMQB SubModern Chart, September 2013
  38. ↑ Pop Noir "Jealousy"
  39. ↑ Clash Magazine, 9/11/13
  40. ↑ Archived September 25, 2015, at the Wayback Machine The Echo calendar, 2013
  41. ↑ Pop Noir live on KX93.5
  42. ↑ "Perfectly Named Pop Noir Premier New Single", Myspace, 4/30/15
  43. ↑ Buzzbands, 5/28/15
  44. ↑ FMQB and KKBB charts, May – June 2015
  45. ↑ Pop Noir "Don't Fool Yourself (acoustic), SPGtv, 2015
  46. ↑ Pop Noir "Hey QT (acoustic)", SPGtv, 2015
  47. ↑ "Pop Noir Explores Shibuya in Their New Video "White Jazz"". DOPECAUSEWESAID. October 3, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  48. ↑ "POP NOIR RETURNS WITH A SLICE OF NOIR POP COVERING U2'S "NEW YEAR'S DAY"". East Portland Blog. December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  49. ↑ "Pop Noir music, videos, stats, and photos". April 2023.
  50. ↑ Spotify
  51. ↑ iTunes
  52. ↑ iTunes
  53. ↑ iTunes
  54. ↑ Discogs.com: Pop Noir "Temptation" Single
  55. ↑ Discogs.com: Pop Noir "DIY" Single
  56. ↑ RCRDLBL.com: Pop Noir "Girls of Prey" Archived December 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
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