No Age

No Age are an American noise rock duo from Los Angeles, active since 2005. The group consists of Randy Randall and Dean Spunt, with Randall on guitar and Spunt on vocals and drums. Their sound combines noise, energy and melody with a stripped-back punk approach, and it sits across experimental rock, lo-fi, noise rock, post-punk, indie rock and alternative rock.

Background

No Age form in December 2005 after the earlier band Wives. Their first performance takes place at The Smell in Los Angeles in April 2006. The Smell is an all-ages space for underground music and art, and both Randall and Spunt are involved there in curatorial, social and artistic roles. The venue becomes closely associated with the band’s DIY ethic and appears on the front cover of their debut album.

Music and style

The band’s songs often move between aggressive punk-rock bursts and brief melodic passages, with pop structures sometimes breaking through the surrounding noise. Their recordings are described as raw, carefully made and tightly arranged, while their live performances carry the same force as their studio work. The duo also work with a minimal setup of guitar, drums, vocals and limited effects.

Releases

No Age release Weirdo Rippers in 2007 as a compilation of early material drawn from five limited vinyl-only releases issued on DIY indie labels around the world. Although it gathers tracks from different sources, it is sequenced to work as a coherent album. In 2008 they issue the single “Eraser”, which becomes their best-known song, and later that year release Nouns on Sub Pop. Nouns receives a 9.2 rating from Pitchfork Media. In 2009 they release Losing Feeling, an EP of loop- and sample-based pieces that continues their punk-filtered pop style while also including more abstract material. Their third album, Everything In Between, follows in 2010.

Other work

Beyond the duo’s recordings, No Age also make video, performance and visual art under the name No Age and individually. They curate the “Get Hurt” exhibition in Los Angeles, which includes work by Devendra Banhart, Rich Jacobs, Ron Rege Jr., Matthew Thurber, Susan Cianciolo and Ashley Macomber.