COIN, The 1975 and Harry Styles comprise Noah Bates’ diverse indie-pop palette.
Oftentimes, the descriptor of indie-pop is assigned to artists without much understanding about what the genre entails.
Thankfully, with its fuzz rock flairs and earworm melodies, Noah Bates’ recent debut single doesn’t suffer from any such miscalculations.
Brimming with an infectious energy and adorned in playful lyricism, Coffee In Japan is about as indie-pop as you could hope for, and fans of the genre are all the better for it.
But like any great artist, Bates acknowledges the peers he’s indebted to, telling Happy Mag that he’s “always loved listening to music and hearing the different sounds artists would have.”
Keeping in that spirit, Bates stopped by Happy to run-through the songs and musicians who inspire him, from the “massive sounds” of pop rock band COIN to the “immaculate” production of The 1975.
Deep-dive into Noah Bates’ influential music palette below, and scroll down to listen to his new single Coffee In Japan.
You Are the Traffic and Crash My Car – COIN
Both of these songs have massive indie-pop choruses that I really loved from the moment I heard them. COIN’s ‘You Are the Traffic’ had a big impact on how I produced the drums for the second and final choruses.
The massive sounds I think have a way of kicking a song up a gear that I find really exciting. Also the general vibe of both the songs is just amazing as well.
It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You) – The 1975
This song also played a big part in shaping and inspiring the drums on ‘Coffee in Japan’, the massive 80’s snare and big sounds that they have are just immaculate and remind me of all the songs my parents would play for me from their childhood.
Another part of this song that influenced ‘Coffee in Japan’ was the guitar layering and vocal layering this song has. The different guitar riffs communicating with each other and the stacked vocals for the choruses are a really massive sound that tickles my brain.
Daylight and Late Night Talking – Harry Styles
The simple pop elements and vocal stacking in these songs are really cool. Harry Styles’ laid back vocals in ‘Daylight’ influenced the verses, bridge and first chorus of ‘Coffee in Japan’.
The vocal doubles and harmonies in ‘Late Night Talking’ played a similar role in influencing ‘Coffee in Japan’s’ vocal performance like The 1975’s song did.
When You’re Gone and If I Can’t Have You – Shawn Mendes
The guitar tones in ‘When You’re Gone’ & ‘If I Can’t Have You’ were a big influence on the electric guitar tones in ‘Coffee in Japan’. The guitar tones reminded me of the classic 80s clean chorus guitar tones you would hear all the time.
Around the time I started the production of the song I was listening to these tracks and was reminded of how much I loved those guitar tones so I knew they were what I was looking for in guitar tones for ‘Coffee in Japan’
