Noon Fifteen presents Finish What You Started: ten songs about love, vampires, politicians, and other monsters.
Recorded over eight years, Finish What You Started brings the band’s signature eclectic blend of rock, earworm pop, soul, and psychedelia to nerdy new heights. In “Imposter,” a woman wakes up to find her spouse has been replaced with a doppelganger. In “Finish What You Started,” the forgettable vampire movie Daybreakers spills out of the $3.99 DVD bin to consume the world of the speaker. There’s also a song about dinosaurs.
Sonically, Finish What You Started bobs and weaves in surprising ways. The sweltering reggae of “Easy” gives way to incendiary rock and roll. “Scared To” progressively builds from acoustic folk to a lush dreamscape. The album’s finale is a multi-section haunted house that builds to a maximalist explosion. “I love a good juxtaposition,” says bassist/vocalist Harry Nichols. “I like to take something spooky and creepy and make it really catchy and fun.”
Hailed as “a small town band with a big imagination” (Pete Mason, NYS Music), Ithaca, NY’s “prog soul” rockers Noon Fifteen deliver fun, imaginative songs with rich vocal harmonies and old school instrumentation. Mandy Goldman (vocals & guitar), Samuel B. Lupowitz (keyboards & vocals), Joe Massa (guitar), and Harry Nichols (bass & vocals) are taking the band into its second decade with their infectious mix of dance grooves, rock opera grandeur, and melodies that will follow you all the way home. Think Queen meets Aretha, or Lake Street Dive and Yes watching horror movies in their parents’ basement. For the longtime friends and collaborators, nothing is musically off-limits.
Though the onset of the pandemic in 2020 stalled their output, Noon Fifteen is back and ready for more, continuing to release music both via streaming and through their behind-the-scenes podcast. Their contribution to the 2026 NPR Tiny Desk Contest, “The Data Center Song,” skewers AI slop and the greed and community destruction required to bring it about, in support of the No Data Center FLX movement. Noon Fifteen kicked off 2026 performing the Beatles album Rubber Soul in its entirety at Liquid State Brewing Co. in Ithaca. They are currently booking the Noon Fifteen plays Rubber Soul show around the northeast, along with sets of original material.
Prior to COVID-19, the band made their recorded debut in 2017 with the self-produced Volume 1. On Halloween 2019, Noon Fifteen released their epic prog-pop suite, At the Festival, which recounts a mourning man’s trip to a music festival as it takes a turn toward the supernatural.
For the present, though, the focus is on Finish What You Started. While several tracks have long been staples of the band’s live show, and more than a few have appeared as interactive 360º videos on the Noon Fifteen YouTube channel, the completed LP will connect the individual songs across their multi-year recording journey. The result is a record that Oldstyle Tales Press calls “both intellectually playful and emotionally sincere, equally comfortable discussing ghosts and heartbreak, vampires and self-doubt. It is a celebration of imagination in all its forms—and one of the most unexpectedly uplifting albums to emerge from such delightfully spooky material.”
The album drops October 16th. Noon Fifteen invites you to face what you fear, sing what you feel, and Finish What You Started.
Contact noonfifteenmusic@gmail.com for booking
“Noon Fifteen have made a record about fear that positively glows with brazen defiance. It steams with summery warmth and cheerful, funky power . . . Unapologetically retro (complete with a Hammond organ’s cozy hum and swirling, bluesy keys a la Vince Guaraldi), and unstoppably enthusiastic, it’s a kick-ass anti-depressant in album-form, without sacrificing intellectual curiosity or existential honesty.”
~M. Grant Kellermeyer, Oldstyle Tales Press
“One of Ithaca’s most versatile bands”
~Jim Catalano, Ithaca Music News
“The alternate musical styles of At the Festival drive the narrative through the album. The band shines here moving effortlessly between pop soul sounds, prog rock riffs and sonically soaring movements. The free, yet vocally stunning “Wandering” showcases the beautiful harmonies this group can deliver . . . Well-crafted and performed, At the Festival is a testament to Noon Fifteen’s willingness to explore and grow musically. This is an effort to be cheered.”
~Derrick Ottman, NYS Music
“As is to be expected at this point from Noon Fifteen, the entire 22-minute epic is packed with emotion, groove, catchy hooks, superb musicianship and orchestration, clever lyricism, and vocal precision . . . At the Festival finds the perfect application for multiple proficient lead singers . . . an engaging, entertaining, and thought-provoking listen that will definitely not disappoint existing fans and new listeners alike.”
~George W. Wilhelm III, New Music Friday
“Outshining conventional pop music with their creativity, the tracks on Volume 1 manage to double the length of the average pop song without feeling bloated or repetitious . . . Mandy Goldman’s vocal finesse and versatility is particularly evident . . . Each member of the group is essential to the overall sound of the band.”
~George W. Wilhelm III, New Music Friday
“Another prime example of talented original musicians that help make our music scene so special.”
~Kyle Farr, Ithaca Times
“I’m partial to female vocals – and this town is packed with women who can mesmerize with their voices. One of them has been working with some of my favorite singer-songwriters lately . . . Mandy Goldman is the real deal. And Sam Lupowitz is one of the real craftsmen of melody and words in the region, writing ear worms with thoughtful and thought-provoking lyrics that are fun to dance to or just hang out and listen.”
~Jonathan Hochberg, Finger Lakes Music Press
Mandy Goldman – vocals & guitar
Samuel B. Lupowitz – keyboards & vocals
Joe Massa – guitar
Harry Nichols – bass & vocals
Simon Bjarning – drums & vocals
