Noah Rauchwerk’s ambitions as a frontman have (literally) taken a back seat to his work as a touring drummer for Samia, Willow Avalon and Renny Conti. And, occasionally, jealousy has reared its toxic head.
“I wrote ‘I Hate You’ about my friend Nick (Carpenter, a.k.a. Medium Build) when his career took off, and we started drifting apart,” says Rauchwerk. “I believed there was no one in the world who deserved success more than he did. But I also really wanted to be in his shoes. Basically, I hated him—but I loved him so much.”
The new Shark River (Rose Garden) brings the focus back to Wormy, a five-year-old singer/songwriter project that reflects Rauchwerk’s love for such indie institutions as Bright Eyes and the Mountain Goats. But with co-production help from Samia and Conti, the New York-based artist hasn’t strayed far from his place of employment.
“Renny produced a lot of songs on the album,” says Rauchwerk. “He has an adventurous and fun approach to producing. He tried a lot of things, many of which I doubted at first.”
Rauchwerk’s working relationship with Samia Najimy Finnerty dates to 2018. “She’s the most brilliant songwriter I know,” he says. “I’m always sending her voice memos and asking advice on how to improve.”
Dislocation seems to be Shark River’s central thematic tipping point—that and the toll a life on the road can take on human interaction, leaving dysfunctional relationships in its wake.
“Coming back from tour, your day-to-day life is massively different,” says Rauchwerk. “Your friends are doing different things, you have an absurd amount of free time, your ex has a new boyfriend or whatever. It’s all kind of thrown in your face all at once. It’s something I’m working on—just keeping in touch better so it’s not such a shock to the system when I get home.”
We’re proud to premiere Wormy’s “I Hate You.” Shark River is out Friday.
—Hobart Rowland
