Singer/songwriter Noah Solt has returned with his latest single, the atmospheric ‘Big Water,’ out now on Starita Records. The track is a perfect culmination of his indie pop variance, tackling a new corner of the genre with a more ambient angle that calls to the expansiveness of the open ocean. This is just a taste of what is in store from his upcoming debut album of the same name, a further exploration of self-reflection and hope. The track follows Solt’s first five releases, ‘Spheres,’ ‘After All,’ ‘The Fold,’ ‘Ever Been,’ and ‘Dawn,’ lauded by critics as noteworthy additions to contemporary chamber pop and acoustic rock in EARMILK, Notion, Wonderland, and CLASH. The releases also received Top 10 placements across 400+ Spotify playlists, and spots in 4K+ Spotify playlists.
Raised in the landlocked Colorado Rocky Mountains and having developed skills as a guitarist, Solt’s inherent musical talents found him at Berklee College of Music in Boston during the onslaught of COVID-19. He chose to step away from the clear-cut path of school in 2020, instead opting to follow his heart and become a professional sailor. Along his trips, his music was a guiding force, always with him as he marveled at the vastness, unchecked power, and beauty of the ocean. It became his single greatest inspiration, as he found himself penning the tracks on Big Water with themes of transition that mimicked the sunrise he often watched on his boat. The album deals with finding empowerment to face the challenging unknowns in life, as well as connection in the vast spaces of such unknowns.
“Big Water” was carefully crafted to mimic the ebbs and flows of waves, sonically. There is a profundity to this motion, a soothing feeling but also a call to marvel at what is bigger than each of us: nature. Solt shares, “Thematically, the song is closest to the main theme of the entire album and a personal favorite. It’s my attempt at recapturing the feeling of being out in the middle of an ocean.” He focused on turning gravity into something melodic, a difficult task made flawless. Listeners will sense the sway and solitude of an endless open ocean and be reminded of the shared experience in the complexity and richness of life.
As with all of the tracks on the album, “Big Water” was recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama at the historic FAME Studios. However, this track was actually written there as well, pouring out of Solt in a “feverish midnight writing session” as he penned the testament to his days as a professional sailor. It was produced and recorded in collaboration with GRAMMY®-recognized producer, Starita, who shares, “You will hear that we focused more on texture and sonics rather than a rigid formulaic song structure. I was most excited to see what the Muscle Shoals studio musicians would do with an open-format composition that really had no rules, like ‘Big Water.’ It was clear that they thrived on having this creative freedom to allow things to flow. I hope the listener is transported to an open sense of calm when listening to this song.”
The duo incorporated sitar into the track on a whim during the recording with the Slow Burners studio band. “At Fame Studios, there was a specially built guitar that had sympathetic strings like a sitar laying around. We had no idea how it would sound and as soon as Trevor McKay started playing it we all said, “That's it!”
Speaking on the track, Noah concludes, “It’s my life experience on the ocean and translating that for a song is a beautiful way for me to not only share, but process my own story.” He hopes it will allow listeners to process the highs and lows of their own life, and their freedom in surrender, too.
Listen to "Big Water" across streaming platforms.
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