Noun

While still enrolled at a New Jersey high school, vocalist/guitarist Marissa Paternoster began capturing material under the alias Noun, well before she assumed leadership of her screechy indie rock trio. Those solo recordings favored a restrained approach over the intensity of Screaming Females, weaving shadowy, atmospheric melodies in the vein of PJ Harvey and Siouxsie and the Banshees. Nearly forty songs remained dormant on her father’s laptop for five years as Screaming Females worked to establish themselves. The tracks resurfaced in 2010, prompting Paternoster to bring in Miranda Taylor (Black Wine, Hunchback, Full of Fancy), Angela Boylan (Cheeky), and Screaming Females colleagues Jarrett Dougherty and King Mike to develop the arrangements. The collaboration yielded Noun’s debut full-length, Holy Hell, which appeared on Don Giovanni Records.