Having spent the past couple of years sweating it out in venues up and down the East Coast of Australia, Eddie Boyd AKA Human Noise (formerly Boydos) has returned with a fresh moniker, revived energy, and his strongest single to date.

Listening to his debut record “It’s Alright, Look At Me I’m Young” (2019), you wouldn’t have guessed all was not quite well in the camp of the Sydney muso. Swaying between heartful Jeff Buckley-esque songmanship and bouncy indie rock, all the while chronicling his foray into young manhood, IALAMIY quickly established him as one of the most exciting talents in the Australian musical ecosystem. Yet, the name “Boydos”, niggled away at the enigmatic songwriter.

“It always felt like a rushed choice to me” Boyd says of his former title. “I had been stewing on it for a long time and I just didn't feel connected to “Boydos”. I definitely think the new name represents the music better.”

Today we have the first taste of Human Noise’s as yet untitled sophomore album, recorded in New Zealand with NZ Music Award-winning producer Ben Edwards. “How Is It You Do That?”, which clocks in at two minutes and six seconds, is a frenetic melodic collage that explodes with energy.

With the drum beat charging toward the finish line, Boyd lets his vocals take center-stage. The emotion that bleeds through the speaker is simply electrifying. Ironically, the track lyrically centers around controlling your mind, or in Boyd’s case, a lack thereof:

“How Is It You Do That?’ is an ode to a friend and his ability to be calm under emotional stress. We were going through similar things at the same time and I really admired the way he could maintain such a rational and forgiving outlook. It was a challenging time for both of us and I’m really happy at how well that angst and frustration was captured in the studio.”

Directed and edited by Boyd himself, with AnnieRose Collis shooting on the night, the video encapsulates the frantic bones of the track. Shot in one take, Boyd gives the song the impassioned performance it deserves as a spattering of colours radiate in the background.

“I was just trying to think of economic ways to make a video clip that wasn’t terrible, and I definitely made a few terrible prototypes. We shot it at half the speed of the final edit, to give it that frantic, unhinged effect. We did a bunch of takes, because if the camera's not steady, it just looks crazy” he says. “There's a hilarious early take of me, loping around suburbia, singing full volume at half speed sounding like a total drunk.”

If you’re late to the Human Noise party, now’s the chance to sink your teeth in. The new record is expected early 2021 and if ‘How Is It You Do That?’ is anything to go by, the birth (or rebirth) of Human Noise is something you don’t want to sleep on.

“I'm really excited for everything to be heard, which is a different feeling than I had with the first album,” Boyd says. “I feel more confident in the lyrics. I just feel like ... Yeah, I feel excited about everything.”