Ray Noir is a London-based alt/goth musician who mashes the genres of metal, electronic, and pop into a sonic stew. Noir stated that his latest release, a cover of Tears for Fears’ classic “Shout,” was inspired by the injustice in the world, particularly referring to racism and the Trans+ movement. This cover is fueled by his anger, and desire for justice.
When you listen to Ray Noir version’s, and then go back to Tears for Fears’, the seeds of industrial-ness of the original version become strikingly apparent. The original has a heavy synth sound, full of ratchety percussion. In Noir’s iteration of the 1985 hit, the persistent synth stabs and electronic boom-chick percussion combined with the growly vocal distortion are gritty and satisfying. The tribulating, wavering layers of sounds in the bass range add a sense of unease and angst. As the musician’s bodies dance and move under the smoke and green lights in the music video, we get the sense that someone is, indeed, about to start a revolution. And the final words, “come on,” are purely haunting.
