No Age is an American

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

duo consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Allen Spunt. The band is based in Los Angeles, California, and was signed to

Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...

records from 2008 to 2013. No Age's fourth studio album, '' Snares Like a Haircut'', was released by Drag City on January 26, 2018. Drag City also released '' Goons Be Gone'', their fifth studio album, on June 5, 2020.

History

Formation, EPs, and ''Weirdo Rippers''

No Age formed in December 2005 out of the ashes of their previous band,

Wives A wife ( : wives) is a female in a marital relationship. A woman who has separated from her partner continues to be a wife until the marriage is legally dissolved with a divorce judgement. On the death of her partner, a wife is referred to as ...

, in which Spunt played bass and sang and Randall played guitar. They played their first show at the New Image Art gallery for a show curated by friend and artist

Rich Jacobs Rich Jacobs (born 1972 in Long Beach, California) is an American artist and curator who currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Jacobs has exhibited in the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. In 2008, his work ''Mi ...

on January 22, 2006. Their second show was at

The Smell The Smell is an all-ages, alcohol and drug-free, punk rock and experimental music venue in Downtown Los Angeles, California. The Smell, notable for its DIY ethic, is home to many of the area's avant-garde performers and artists. The venue is m ...

in April 2006 with

Mika Miko Mika Miko was an American band formed in 2003 in Los Angeles, California. In 2004, they gained local popularity for their frenetic live performances. Featuring Victor Fandgore (Jennifer Clavin), Jet Blanca (Jenna Thornhill), Michelle Suarez, Jes ...

BARR Barr may refer to: Places * Barr (placename element), element of place names meaning 'wooded hill', 'natural barrier' * Barr, Ayrshire, a village in Scotland * Barr Building (Washington, DC), listed on the US National Register of Historic Places ...

and more. "The Smell is where we got to experiment. It pushed the boundaries of whatever ideas we had about music and art—and we had a community to try out these new ideas," Randall told Drew Tewksbury in 2008. The band recorded 5 limited edition vinyl

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

and EPs, and released them on 5 different labels on or around the same day, March 26, 2007. Designed by Brian Roettinger, Randall and Spunt, the back of each record's sleeve was a different color, and had one of the letters that, when you collected all of them, would join to spell "No Age." Half of the songs off these 5 EPs and singles were collected and released in album form under the title '' Weirdo Rippers'', on June 11, 2007, through

FatCat Records FatCat Records is an English independent record label based in Brighton. The label's output reaches into many styles including experimental rock, electronica, psychedelic folk, contemporary classical, noise and post-punk. Notable artists that ...

. The cover featured the exterior back wall of The Smell painted ''No Age'' and, below, ''Weirdo Rippers'' by Amanda Vietta, an artist and friend of No Age. The painting of The Smell can also be seen in the band's first music video for the song "Boy Void". No Age are known for their constant touring, community allegiance and playing un-traditional venues, such as their show at the

Los Angeles River , name_etymology = , image = File:Los Angeles River from Fletcher Drive Bridge 2019.jpg , image_caption = L.A. River from Fletcher Drive Bridge , image_size = 300 , map = LARmap.jpg , map_size ...

. A ''New Yorker'' article on the band from November 19, 2007, entitled ''Let It Rip'' earned them much acclaim and fans.

''Sub Pop'', touring, and ''Nouns''

Buoyed by positive reviews in the music press, No Age signed to the prominent

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

-based independent label

. On January 25, 2008, No Age began a month-long, 23-date tour with New York City band Liars. Liars and No Age also released a joint

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

limited to 1200 copies to coincide with the tour. 200 copies of the two-song single were sold on tour, with unique cover art for each individual city designed by Brian Roettinger, and the other 1000 featured hand letterpress-printed covers with different ink and vinyl color for each one. On May 6, 2008, No Age released their debut record for Sub Pop, ''

Nouns A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for: * Living creatures (including people, alive, d ...

''. No Age appeared in an episode of VBS.tv "Practice Space," showing their

Bushwick Bushwick is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by the neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens, to the northeast; Williamsburg to the northwest; East New York and the cemeteries of Highland Par ...

, New York practice space, which was inside of a wood shop. In May 2008, UK music magazine ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * ' ...

'' named No Age one of the top ten best new acts, beside

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...

and Sub Pop labelmates

Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes is an American indie folk band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2006. The band consists of Robin Pecknold (vocals, guitar), Skyler Skjelset (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals), Casey Wescott (keyboards, mandolin, backing vocals), Ch ...

. Randall and Spunt, along with Roettinger were nominated for a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for their design and packaging of the Nouns CD, which came with a 64-page book of art and photos. The music video for No Age's song "

Eraser An eraser (also known as a rubber in some Commonwealth countries, including South Africa from the material first used) is an article of stationery that is used for removing marks from paper or skin (e.g. parchment or vellum). Erasers have a ...

" directed by Andy Bruntel debuted on June 27, 2008. The video begins with No Age's

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

song "Impossible Bouquet" from ''

'', before it segues into "Eraser". A No Age music video for the song "Goat Hurt" is included on a DVD entitled ''New Video Works'' released by Dean Spunt's label, Post Present Medium. The song is off of the band's out of print '' Dead Plane'' EP, but was also available through a limited edition 10-inch EP made available at the Fuck Yeah! festival held in L.A. on August 30, 2008. The video was directed by Mika Miko's Jennifer Clavin.

''Losing Feeling'', ''Everything in Between''

The group released the 4 song EP '' Losing Feeling'' on October 6, 2009, on

. The release had a companion zine called "Losing Feeling" made by the band and Brian Roettinger that was for sale with pre-orders and also at art book stores Ooga Booga in Los Angeles and

Printed Matter, Inc. Printed Matter, Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) Nonprofit organization, non-profit grant-supported bookstore, artist organization, and arts space which publishes and distributes artists' books. It is currently located at 231 11th Avenue in the Ch ...

in New York. The zine was in an edition of 200. On April 1, 2010, No Age performed a Live Score at the REDCAT in Los Angeles for the film ''Aanteni'' directed by Todd Cole for the fashion designers Rodarte. The film includes original No Age music. On June 24, 2010, No Age announced their new album, '' Everything in Between'', along with the track listing. On July 28, No Age premiered the first single from the album, "Glitter", on a

BBC 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

interview with

Steve Lamacq Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio station BBC Radio 6 Music. Early life He attended The Ramsey Academy ...

. On August 10, the album's cover was released, and plans to release two "Glitter" singles were announced, along with their respective covers. The singles were released on August 24. ''Everything In Between'' was released on September 28, 2010, to generally favorable reviews. During June 16–20, 2011, No Age accompanied video artist

Doug Aitken Doug Aitken (born 1968) is an American artist. Aitken's body of work ranges from photography, print media, sculpture, and architectural interventions, to narrative films, sound, single and multi-channel video works, installations, and live perf ...

and actress

Chloë Sevigny Chloë Stevens Sevigny (, born November 18, 1974) is an American actress, model, filmmaker and fashion designer. Known for her work in independent films, often appearing in controversial or experimental features, Sevigny is the recipient of se ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

and

Hydra Island Hydra, or Ydra or Idra ( el, Ύδρα, Ýdra, , Arvanitika: Nύδρα/Nidhra), is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece, located in the Aegean Sea between the Myrtoan Sea and the Argolic Gulf. It is separated from the Peloponnese by a narrow str ...

in Greece to perform the multimedia installation piece Black Mirror. Supported by the

Deste Foundation Deste Foundation, Centre for Contemporary Art is an arts foundation in Nea Ionia, a northern suburb of Athens, Greece. Housing the art collection of Greek businessman Dakis Joannou, it organizes exhibitions with the collection and commissions new w ...

and the

Greek Festival A Greek festival or Greek Fest is an annual celebration of Greek culture presented by many ethnic Greek American communities and organization in the United States and Canada, particularly Greek Orthodox churches. Typically, these events are intende ...

the performances took place on an old Greek barge at the

Port of Piraeus The Port of Piraeus ( el, Λιμάνι του Πειραιά) is the chief sea port of Athens, Greece, located on the Saronic Gulf on the western coasts of the Aegean Sea, the largest port in Greece and List of busiest ports in Europe, one of the ...

in Athens on June 16 and 17 and off the Island of Hydra on June 19. With a final performance on June 20 with the barge driven a mile off the coast of Hydra in the middle of the ocean. On November 12, 2011, No Age made a soundtrack and installation piece for

Hedi Slimane Hedi Slimane (; born July 5, 1968) is a French photographer and grand couturier. From 2000 to 2007, he held the position of creative director for Dior Homme (the menswear line of Christian Dior S.A., Christian Dior). From 2012 to 2016, he was the ...

's ''California Song'' at the MOCA

Pacific Design Center The Pacific Design Center, or PDC, is a multi-use facility for the design community located in West Hollywood, California. One of the buildings is often described as the ''Blue Whale'' because of its large size relative to surrounding buildings a ...

. They performed their piece with audience participation for the opening of the show and the soundtrack as a continuous loop played for the duration of the show ending on January 22, 2012. No Age released ''

An Object ''An Object'' is the third studio album from the duo No Age and third to be released through Sub Pop. The band physically created, printed, packaged, and manufactured 10,000 units of the record themselves. Track listing Personnel *Randy Randal ...

'' on August 19, 2013, on

. On January 26, 2018, they released their fourth album on Drag City, entitled, '' Snares Like a Haircut''. On February 24, 2020, they released the single, "Turned to String" and announced their fifth studio album, '' Goons Be Gone'' which was released on June 5, 2020. From the same album they released the singles "Feeler", "War Dance" and "Head Sport Full Face" prior to the release of the full album.

''People Helping People''

On July 6, 2022, No Age announced their album ''People Helping People'' with a September 16 release date alongside the release of its first single "Andy Helping Andy". It will be their first album entirely recorded by the band.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' CD/12" (

, 2008) * '' Everything in Between'' CD/12" (

, 2010) * ''

'' CD/12" (

, 2013) * '' Snares Like a Haircut'' ( Drag City, 2018) * '' Goons Be Gone'' (Drag City, 2020) * ''People Helping People'' (Drag City, 2022)

Compilation album

* '' Weirdo Rippers'' CD/12" ( FatCat, 2007)

EPs

* ''DVD-R No. 1'' (Self Released 2006) * '' Get Hurt'' 12-inch (

Upset The Rhythm Upset The Rhythm is an independent record label based in London with a varied roster of leftfield artists and bands; they also operate as a diverse DIY live music promoter. Huw Stephens featured Upset The Rhythm as "purveyors of interesting indi ...

, 2007) * '' Dead Plane'' 12-inch (Teenage Teardrops, 2007) * ''Sick People Are Safe'' 12-inch (Deleted Art, 2007) * ''Flannel Graduate'' CD-r (with

Zach Hill Zachary Charles Hill (born December 28, 1979) is an American multi-instrumentalist and visual artist. He is best known as the drummer and co-producer of the groups Death Grips and the I.L.Y's, and as the drummer of math rock band Hella. Art In ...

) (Self-Released, 2008) * ''Goat Hurt'' 10-inch (2008) * '' Losing Feeling'' 12-inch (Sub Pop, 2009) * ''Collage Culture'' 12-inch (PPM, 2012) * "Barely Mixed, No Master" CD-r (Self Released, 2015)

Singles

* "Neck Escaper 7-inch (Youth Attack, 2007) * ''PPM'' 7-inch (Post Present Medium, 2007) * ''Liars / No Age'' split 7-inch (Post Present Medium/Hand Held Heart, 2008) * "

" (Sub Pop, 2008) * "Teen Creeps" (Sub Pop, 2008) * "Glitter" 7-/12-inch (Sub Pop, 2010) * "Fever Dreaming" (Sub Pop, 2010) * ''Bored Fortress'' split 7-inch with Infinite Body (Not Not Fun, 2010) * "C'mon, Stimmung" (Sub Pop, 2013) * "Separation b/w Serf To Serf" 7-inch (Self Released, 2016) * "Turned to String" (Drag City, 2020) * "Feeler" (Drag City, 2020) * "War Dance" (Drag City, 2020) * "Head Sport Full Face" (Drag City, 2020)

Cassettes

* "Secret City"/"Brett Schultz Himself" split cassette with

Abe Vigoda Abraham Charles Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) was an American actor known for his portrayals of Salvatore Tessio in ''The Godfather'' (1972) and Phil Fish in both ''Barney Miller'' (1975–1977, 1982) and ''Fish'' (1977–1978 ...

(Death Bomb Arc, 2007) * ''Slow Gag'' live in Glasgow 9 October 2010 cassette (Rude Fans, 2011) * "Untitled Green Tape" live and extended versions of songs from

(Self Released, 2013) * "Re-imagined An Object" live and extended versions of songs from

(the Thing Quarterly, April 26, 2014). * "Score For The Day Before" Live score for a short film by No Age (McEvoy Foundation, 2019)

References

External links

No Age Website

Dean Spunt on Jekyll and Hyde, 106FM Jerusalem
{{Authority control Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 2005 American musical duos Indie rock musical groups from California Rock music duos FatCat Records artists Sub Pop artists