Article Contributed by Vicious Kid PR
Published on February 10, 2026
We are happy to announce the release of the Noah Pierre Band’s second full length album, Inwards. The collective, based in the DMV, (the acronym for DC, Maryland and Virginia) have been at it since 2023 in the current incarnation, seamlessly traversing the spaces in between modern jazz, soul, funk and rock.
Recorded at Sweetfoot Studios in Easton, MD as well as Hangar Studio in Columbia, MD, the new album follows their 2023 debut, Frames and an EP, You Live Here, released in 2024.
Inwards could very well be a contradiction in terms. We’re being a bit cheeky here, but first listen betrays an ensemble who may be having a blast, but are anything but self indulgent about it. These are real songs that seek to communicate with their audience, make them smile, feel and remember.
“My main goal with this record was to lean on the singer-songwriter part of my brain,” says Pierre. “I approach all my music through melodies, connection and making it feel familiar.”
Pierre’s smooth elastic vocal stylings and sinewy guitar never fail to put it over. Keyboardist Ricky Jefferson and Mike Paxton’s saxophone add color and groove depending on what the moment needs, and Oliver Unger and Jordon Stanley, bass and drums, respectively, never lose the groove.
Says Pierre, “We are a band of musicians but we are also all artists and producers. The concept was to keep all of the elements that are at the core of our sound- the groove, the improvisations and spontaneity, while mixing in elements of sampling and more sonic experimentation.”
It’s all there for us in songs like “Chess,” their latest single, dropped on January 23rd. Pierre’s soulful falsetto playing call and response with Paxton, Clarence Ward III (trumpet) and trombonist Christian Hizon’s succinct hits culminate in a lush outro with overdubbed guitars.
“Covert,” the album’s first focus song and its kickoff track, released just before the New Year, is a strictly instrumental affair (as is half of the songs on Inwards) that taps into the band’s fusion nexus to mesmerizing effect.
We slip into “Mom Jeans” with Pierre’s ethereal guitar before we are led on by Unger and Stanley’s rhythmic throb, the latter sporting some impressive hi-hat work, before the silky, heartfelt vocals round out this lovely, hazy track.
“E.D.W,” another non-vocal track, is reminiscent of Weather Report and Return To Forever without wearing the influence on their proverbial sleeve, and “Sunshine Of Your Love,” a respectable version of the Creem classic, presents as an ominously slower take with Pierre not straying too far from Clapton’s vocal phrasing but also, dare we say it, taking the guitar work to a new level. ]
The other 8 tracks on Inwards are equally as engaging and portray a commitment to eclecticism, high shelf musicianship and classic songwriting that is rarely heard.
Pierre offers about the album, “We hope to take you to a place of new sounds that also make you feel at home.”
Since January 2025, they have been the backing band for Jarrod Lawson, performing at Atlanta Jazz Festival, Rochester Jazz Festival, and other festivals / venues. They were featured in the Maryland Music Awards and appeared on WBALTV in December of 2024.
Noah Pierre is endorsed by PRS guitars.
NOAH PIERRE BAND TOUR DATES:
Thu. 2.19 – Reveler Experiences (Richmond, VA)
Sat. 2.21 – Rudy’s Jazz Room (Nashville, TN)
Thu. 2.26 – Keystone Korner (Baltimore, MD)
