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, In the City 2006 Preview, Designer Magazine and playing dates in London Shot2Bits and Paris.
The band has supported Doves, Stereogum Review and slide show, 5/15/09 OC Weekly slide show, May 18, 2009 Sebastien Tellier, RCRD LBL: Pop Noir backstage with Sebastien Tellier The Wombats, The Tape Is Not Sticky, 6/10/08 The Pinker Tones, Al Borde Magazine, 6/2/09 A Certain Ratio, Iglu & Hartly, The Rock N Roll Supershow, 5/9/09 Fitz and the Tantrums LAist, 2/19/10 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), Strummerville.com, SWEETFA3 and the original SweetFA compilation, which was given free as a covermount on UK music magazine Artrocker. ARTROCKER 80, August 2008
The track "Girls of Prey" was released exclusively on RCRDLBL in the summer of 2008, L.A. Record, 6/12/08 where it debuted in the Top 10, alongside Santigold, Moby and Tokyo Police Club. RCRD LBL Top Ten Week of June 15, 2008 "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. The Business Insider, 3/5/09
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 The Daily Cartoonist, 5/28/07 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. National Cartoonists Society, Awards 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 TimeOut, 6/8/15 and the annual FYF Fest FYF Official Tumblr in Los Angeles and amassed a client list that includes Matador Records, Universal Republic, Myspace and Vans. PR Log, 10/21/13 The brothers have created animated videos for the bands Guster Guster "This Is How It Feels To Have A Broken Heart" and The Zambonis The Zambonis "I'm A Puck" 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. BBC News Manchester, 1/25/13 and U.S., Nerd Geek Feelings, 6/21/15 including his own month-long exhibition at Cartoon Network, The Robots Voice, 5/7/14 and in 2013, was nominated for the Illustrator of the Year Award from the National Cartoonists Society. OC Weekly, 5/7/13 He has also twice appeared with Jack Black and Tenacious D at signing events at San Diego Comic Con, in 2013 and 2014. SDCC Blog, 7/22/14 Reuben.org, 7/21/14
Pop Noir's debut single "DIY' was released on the Fantastic Heat label on November 16, 2009, Rock Steady and debuted at No. 5 on the FMQB Specialty Radio charts. FMQB SubModern Report The video for "DIY" was Spinner.com's Video of the Day, Spinner.com, 3/31/10 and was voted mtvU's "Freshmen of the Week" in March 2010 mtvU, 3/26/10 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 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, Troubadour Calendar, 2011 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. Echoplex artist bio, 2013 To coincide with the release, Pop Noir played a month-long residency at The Constellation Room in Santa Ana, California. OC Weekly, 1/7/13 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. Pop Noir "Temptation"
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. FMQB SubModern Chart, September 2013 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). Pop Noir "Jealousy" Clash Magazine, 9/11/13 To promote the release, Pop Noir headlined The Echo in Los Angeles and played live on numerous local radio stations. The Echo calendar, 2013 Pop Noir live on KX93.5
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 "Perfectly Named Pop Noir Premier New Single", Myspace, 4/30/15 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 Buzzbands, 5/28/15 debuted at No. 18 on the FMQB Charts and went top 20 on the KKBB Charts. FMQB and KKBB charts, May – June 2015 Pop Noir subsequently filmed an acoustic version of the track Pop Noir "Don't Fool Yourself (acoustic), SPGtv, 2015 for the UK'S Student Pocket Guide, along with a cover of QT's single "Hey QT". Pop Noir "Hey QT (acoustic)", SPGtv, 2015
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.
In December, 2023, Pop Noir released the single "New Year's Day", a cover of the 1983 U2 song.
Discography
Releases YearTitleTrack listingNew Year's DaySpotify Released: December 15, 2023 Formats: digital download1. New Year's Day – 5:05White JazziTunes Released: September 1, 2018 Formats: digital download1. White Jazz – 4:062. White Jazz (Acoustic) – 3:46Don't Fool YourselfiTunes Released: August 27, 2015 Formats: digital download1. Don't Fool Yourself – 4:242. Don't Fool Yourself (Instrumental) – 4:21JealousyiTunes Released: August 27, 2013 Formats: digital download1. Jealousy – 4:162. Bang the Drum – 4:363. Thick As Thieves – 3:29Bang the Drum Slowly – 3:07TemptationDiscogs.com: Pop Noir "Temptation" Single Released: January 7, 2013 Formats: CD, digital download1. Temptation – 5:182. Temptation (Radio Edit) – 3:45DIYDiscogs.com: Pop Noir "DIY" Single Released: November 16, 2009 Formats: 7" Vinyl, digital download1. DIY – 3:282. In Like a Lion – 3:283. DIY (DIY Not? Remix) – 3:42 (digital only)Girls of PreyRCRDLBL.com: Pop Noir "Girls of Prey" Released: June 2008 Formats: digital download1. Girls of Prey – 3:53
References
External links popnoir.org Pop Noir on Last.fm Fantastic Heat label fantasticheatbrothers.com