Distracted

BY ALLIE RUSSELL

Noah Richardson tried mouth tape for the first time the night before our interview. “I thought I was going to suffocate and die,” he laughed, “but I think it worked.” It’s an oddly fitting image for where he’s at right now. doing the slightly strange, slightly scary thing to see if it leads to something better. 

A few years ago, that risk looked a lot bigger. He was halfway through a pre-med degree, on the verge of being kicked out, and staring down the possibility that he’d chased the wrong dream entirely. Instead of doubling down, he pivoted. Hard. “I just thought, this isn’t working,” he said. “I want to do what I actually love.”

That leap led him back to music after nearly a decade away from it, and now, to It’s So Good To See You, a 90s-alt-leaning, early 2000s soundtrack-inspired EP that feels like it was pulled straight from a teen movie you watched before your parents said you could.  

“Growing up, my older brother and stepsister were teenagers in the early 2000s, and I thought they were the coolest people in the world,” he told me. “They had the best music taste, the best movies. I think I’ve always wanted to capture that energy.”

The project is an encapsulation of the intricacies that come with growing up. It was important to Noah that the EP was reflective of his own emotions. “Everything sounds like a time capsule of what I’ve been going through and some things I’ve been feeling for the past two years or so,” he said. “I just felt super lost and not really sure who I was anymore. I was hoping through this process I would finally get to see myself again.”

The project’s lead single, Gifted Kids, taps into the moment in your mid-twenties when friends start getting engaged, buying houses, and having kids. “It’s like a domino effect,” Noah said. “That first person announces it, and you’re like, ‘Oh… it’s starting.’”

While each of the six tracks on the EP are special to him, he admits recording Sally was especially fun. “They’re all like my kids,” he laughed, “there were moments in each one where I thought, I’m so glad we made that choice.”

His writing process isn’t formulaic; sometimes it’s sparked by a movie line, other times ideas form mid-conversation where he’ll quietly start writing in his head (“One of my toxic traits,” he admitted). More often, it’s a daily practice: showing up at the studio, being honest about what he’s feeling, and seeing where it leads. 

Noah’s enthusiasm doesn’t just live in the music. For him, visuals are a huge part of the EP’s world-building. A former screenwriting hopeful, he treats music videos, photography, and imagery as an extension of the storytelling. “With social media now, it’s so important to bring those visuals to life,” he said. Recently, he bought a camera, excited to take even more control of that side of his work. 

Touring is also on his horizon. His early tours were entirely self-booked, which he described as a mix of stressful and exhilarating. “I always thought you needed someone’s permission to tour,” he said. “But you can just reach out to bands you like and ask, ‘Hey, can I open for you in Wisconsin?’” Beyond the logistics, he loves what being on the road does for his perspective. “Sometimes we’re here at home for a while, and we’re stuck in our routine,” he explained. “I like routine, but sometimes I really hate it; it just gets really stale for me.” Traveling, he says, reminds him just how many versions of the world are out there. “Me being where I’m at in Philly, this is my world, but people have their own versions of that everywhere else.”

Before we wrapped, I had to ask my favorite question: What’s been on his TikTok “For You” page lately? The answer: a mix of bodybuilding content and, of course, ads for mouth tape. We traded music recommendations and talked about my favorite track from the EP. For Noah, hearing outside perspectives on the tracklist is a relief after living with the songs for so long. 

As we finished our conversation, that phrase – It’s so good to see you – lingered in the air. It’s more than a title; it’s a thesis statement for where Noah Richardson is right now: an artist who’s growing, evolving, and opening the door for listeners to step into his world. Pressing play feels like being greeted by an old friend, a reminder of how good it feels to be seen, heard, and understood – both for Noah and for anyone listening.