Musical Thesis: Noah Gundersen “White Noise”

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At the center of every album is a musical thesis. This thesis can be the driving force behind the album, a theme that interweaves songs together, or a feeling you are left with after the very last song plays. With some albums, the thesis is easy to find. On others, it is hidden and requires you to be more than a passive listener. These reviews are not about rating an album. Instead, it is about uncovering a musical thesis.

God bless the singer-songwriters. Because they aren’t singing someone else’s words, what they give us feels deeply personal. Noah Gundersen is one of those artists who bleeds onto every song he writes. At times, while listening to this album, it can feel as if we are stealing glances from his journal. The opening of this door matters, as does every word selected and those left unsaid. In those words, I get a sense Noah is wrestling with the things we choose to love. I hear an artist baffled by our worship of fame and technology. I hear an artist broken by the real relationships we don’t give the best version of ourselves. In a world where love can feel transactional, this is a painful observation. Hopefully, we can pause on this moment and choose our next step wisely.

Be good to each other,

Nathan