Album review: NOAHNFINNCE – GROWING UP ON THE INTERNET

Chronically online? NOAHFINNCE gets it. The internet is the space where he made his name, first with his ongoing YouTube career, and then as a musician, but even before then it was shaping who he’d eventually become. But of course, unless you were raised on a remote farm miles away from a phone mast, you know being raised by the internet can also be a complete headfuck – 'It still hasn’t hit me yet / All of the creeps I met / All of the friend request pervs,' he wryly admits on the frenetic title-track of his debut album. It’s not the only thing he’s taking to task on the record to come.

Compared to his pair of EPs, STUFF FROM MY BRAIN and MY BRAIN AFTER THERAPY, GROWING UP ON THE INTERNET is the most individual Noah has ever sounded. This is not production line pop-punk, but something harder, edgier and yet just as catchy (even if it’s occasionally a little overproduced), the thumping electro-rock of SCUMBAG is undeniably fun, while I KNOW BETTER scratches and squeaks and SUBTITLES is a stormy arena rock ballad detailing the barriers to understanding communication when autistic.

That said, it’s his colourful personality that truly makes NOAHFINNCE stand out. Often, he’s endearingly funny. RISE AND GRIND is a tongue-in-cheek punch back at the extreme, often macho ends of hustle culture, for example, while ALEXITHYMIA breaks up its angst with a quirky restaurant menu skit about 'self-doubt trout' and 'anxiety aubergine parmigiano'. But even when he’s grinning, he’s got his fists up. The defiant simmer of KINDA LOVE IT and the blazing punk of LOVELY LADIES see him stick a finger up to the online armies of transphobes littering comment sections with hatred on a daily basis, but while his anger is palpable and powerful, he finds a way to make it fun all the same.

In finding a way to stand apart and make pop-punk his own, NOAHFINNCE might just be one of UK music’s most important new voices.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Waterparks, As It Is, Bears In Trees

Growing Up On The Internet is released on March 8 via Hopeless

Read this: NOAHFINNCE: “There’s always going to be people that can’t see me as anything more than an influencer, but they’re not worth worrying about”