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Boisterous, giggly, and thoughtful

Noisettes singer reveals her inspiration.

Singer/bassist Shingai Shoniwa makes alt-garage-soul with Dan Smith and Jamie Morrison, and that's the Noisettes. And many might find that her most riveting quality. Some point to her songwriting on the trio's 2007 debut,

What's the Time, Mr. Wolf?

, and this year's

Wild Young Hearts

and immediately recognize its compelling diversity. Most take note of the young British woman's approximation of Eartha Kitt's purr and Polly Styrene's cackle.

Yet, on this afternoon, what's noticeable about the boisterous Shoniwa is her laugh. She giggles while calling the hair and makeup people currently on high alert during a press run throughout New York "the glam squad," makes sport of American weather forecasters, and chuckles about how her band is named for a "chocolate sweet you give your mum for Christmas."

"You're from Philadelphia!" shouts Shoniwa. "You know DiPinto guitars. Our band has two of their instruments. We must all go out for a pint when we get there."

There's heat, joy, and drunken luster to be found in new Noisettes tracks such as "Cheap Tricks" and "Don't Upset the Rhythm." The richness of sound on Wild Young Hearts, though organic in her estimation, came down to breaking loose: "We wanted to capture the ideas we've had festering since we've been touring - that spirited vibe. The day we can't capture that, we should hang it up."

New songs like "Never Forget You" encapsulate several ruined romances faced by Noisettes band members. "We didn't do that deliberately - break up - just for the drama. But I guess it helped the album."

Yet for all the kisses and frivolity, songs like "Sister Rosetta (Capture the Spirit)" and "Atticus" prove that Noisettes isn't just a party. "I wanted to portray being brave and taking a leap, and the metaphor of Atticus Finch stuck with me somehow," says Shoniwa of using To Kill a Mockingbird's model of integrity as inspiration for facing consequences with honor. "Some things enter the subconscious and don't let go."

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