by There’s a specific type of indie rock cultivated between the 2000s and early 2010s which was a coalescing of energetic rock guitars/drums/bass and sweet, dreamy melodies. It was surely informed by melodic pop sensibilities, but rough enough to be meaningful, authentic, and personable. It was perhaps a convergence of common elements of ’90s lo-fi, jangly brit-pop, and indie rock, ’80s guitar rock and power pop, and some ’50s and ’60s rock and garage pop. I don’t know, it was maybe all and none of those things. It’s a hall of saccharine mirrors reflecting something shared and fundamental: a combination of propulsive rock energy with nostalgic, daydreaming, and yearning sentiments that commingle in your core. I remember being a teenager and adoring some of these bands: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Voxtrot, Tubelord, Tokyo Police Club, Wolf Parade , and other bands of this ilk.
Love Noka is one of those bands that carries this torch and embody that sense of urgent nostalgia. They’re from Phoenix and probably share members with (now defunct) Captain Samurai and Sun Hex. I’m actually unsure of if this is an active project anymore. They have a few singles on Bandcamp and Spotify, but the main slice is this self-titled 6-track album/EP/project from 2019, which boasts a polished production aesthetic which helps the heart and slight grit of the tracks shine. It’s bright, jangly, and shouty; energetic and dreamy, and sweet.
