7/10

Created across several formative years, 'New Colors of the Sky' follows Noah K from his earliest steps as a guitarist towards a more confident and emotionally aware young songwriter. What began with basic lessons at the age of eleven gradually became a musical diary, preserving the changes in his taste, technique and inner life as he moved between countries and into adolescence.

Early tracks such as ‘Yellow Happiness’ and ‘The Black Lake’ emerged less than a year after he first picked up the guitar, carrying the curiosity of someone discovering what the instrument could become in his hands. There's something really compelling about hearing those first instincts presented alongside later work rather than hidden away as preliminary experiments.

The move to London becomes another turning point. ‘Space Montana’ opens the album with a broader imaginative reach, while ‘Lonely Dr. Goose’ introduces Noah’s voice and lyrics. Conceived with a playful, surreal charm, it reflects a young artist beginning to understand that songwriting can be both personal and fantastical at the same time.

By the final three tracks, all written and recorded when he was thirteen, the atmosphere becomes more reflective. Dreamier textures and a greater sense of melancholy suggest that the album’s emotional vocabulary has expanded alongside his own musicianship. The shift feels natural though, revealing how quickly creative identity can change during adolescence.

And lead single ‘Ocean Tears’ appears to sit at the centre of that later maturity. Its title alone suggests an interest in scale, as the image of the sea allows emotion to feel vast without becoming overexplained, fitting the record’s gradual move towards moodier and more contemplative songwriting.

But what makes 'New Colors of the Sky' meaningful is not simply Noah’s age, as youth alone doesn't guarantee emotional interest. The album matters because it documents genuine progression without disguising the unevenness of learning.

'New Colors of the Sky' is therefore both a debut and a record of becoming. Noah K doesn't arrive with every answer fully formed. Instead, he offers the sound of a young artist discovering how much larger his world can become once he learns how to turn it into music.