“Big Water” Makes A Splash for Noah Solt

Indie folk songwriter Noah Solt’s highly anticipated debut album, Big Water, out now by Starita Records. Solt’s approach to the release process has been as unique as his sound, giving listeners each of the album’s six track – ‘Spheres,’ ‘After All,’ ‘The Fold,’ ‘Ever Been,’ ‘Dawn,’ and ‘Big Water’ – as singles over the course of the past ten months. These works have received praise and attention from critics as noteworthy additions to contemporary chamber pop and acoustic rock in EARMILK, Notion, Wonderland, CLASH, and FAME Magazine. His well-crafted campaign has garnered 5.6K playlist adds reaching more than 2.8M followers, creating an audience that is more than ready to enjoy the tracks in their intended format – a cohesive, immersive experience of nature and music. 

Influenced by the sunrise as a transition uniting day and night, Big Water symbolizes the path walked between duality and oneness. Through an atmospheric sound and reflective lyrics, fans are invited into a deeper conversation; to surrender to a melodic inquiry while navigating pain and joy, and connect within. The individual tracks melt together, telling the story of his journey across the sea and his awakening to life’s complexities.

 

Raised in the landlocked Colorado Rocky Mountains and having developed skills as a guitarist, Solt’s inherent musical talents found him at Berklee College of Music in Boston during the onslaught of COVID-19. He chose to step away from the clear-cut path of school in 2020, instead opting to follow his heart and become a professional sailor. Along his trips, his music was a guiding force, always with him as he marveled at the vastness, unchecked power, and beauty of the ocean. It became his single greatest inspiration, as he found himself penning the tracks on Big Water with themes of transition that mimicked the sunrise he often watched on his boat. The album deals with finding empowerment to face the challenging unknowns in life, as well as connection in the vast spaces of such unknowns. 

All of the tracks on the album were recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama at the historic FAME Studios. Each song was meticulously produced and recorded in collaboration with GRAMMY®-recognized producer, Starita. The collaboration of FAME’s studio band The Slow Burners adds a rich, vivid texture to the body of work, complimenting Solt’s own ingenuity and helping to develop his sound into one that is as alive as his words. 

Opening track ‘Spheres’ serves as the emotional opus of the album, encouraging authenticity in the listener. Solt sings, “Are, as you come…in the arms of another, rememberize you’re one.” With its deep groove, lush soundscapes, and captivating ear candy, ‘Spheres’ features sparse, poetic lyrics and slow, layered melodies. It is the only song on the album written on a grand piano. ‘After All’ introduces the acoustic pop breadth of Solt, furthering his genre journey for the listener. With its pop context and warm, honest lyrics, it stands out as one of the most accessible songs on the album. It was praised by Glamglare as their Song Pick of the Day, noting his “mesmerizing” melodies and “velvety power vocals.”

 

‘The Fold,’ expands on this acoustic guitar sound, bringing in an energetic and optimistic groove wrapped up in Americana tones. Initially, Solt only had a melody for the song, and wrote the lyrics in their entirety during his recording session at Muscle Shoals, creating a story of intuition and bravery with lines like, “Pushing through the night, Turn to scarlet sky, You’ve got the ride, you’ve got to run, Somewhere out of sight, Borders, great divides, You’re to the wind, you’re to the fold.” ‘Ever Been’ encourages the listener to return to themself after heartache, combining the classic melancholia of folk with the hope of Americana – it is a true highlight; showcasing not only Solt’s innate songwriting capabilities but his skill for composing melodies that perfectly encapsulate the complexities of human emotion – the highs and lows of life, just like the waves of the ocean. 

‘Dawn’ has an atmospheric and ethereal sound, exploring the complexities of the human condition. The idea for the song emerged during a journey sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, while Solt witnessed a powerful, unobstructed sunrise and the full-sky gradient of the morning star chasing the night westward. He refers to ‘Dawn’ as a metaphor for human nature, reflecting on how the brightest sun casts the darkest shadow and the darkest night reveals the most beautiful stars. 

Title track “Big Water” was carefully crafted to mimic the ebbs and flows of waves, sonically. There is a profundity to this motion, a soothing feeling but also a call to marvel at what is bigger than each of us: nature. Solt shares candidly, “Thematically, the song is closest to the main theme of the entire album and a personal favorite. It’s my attempt at recapturing the feeling of being out in the middle of an ocean.” 

He focused on turning gravity into something melodic, a difficult task made flawless. Listeners will sense the sway and solitude of an endless open ocean and be reminded of the shared experience in the complexity and richness of life, a perfect completion of the album’s journey – and each of our own. 

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