A Q&A with Darlin’

Pink-powdered pop rock from London… here’s Rob from DARLIN’

What’s the title of your latest release, and what does it mean to you?
‘Velvet’. It has quite a significant meaning as it was the first song the three (there are three key song writers in DARLIN’) of us wrote together and really the first song I had in my head as ‘the sound of DARLIN’.

What was the hardest part about putting this release together, and why?
So we’ve actually been working on this project for three years in the background, it’s only in September 2022 that we launched. Throughout those three years we’ve been putting together multiple releases, so the hardest thing about it would have been the amount of time it’s taken to put together these multiple releases and having to sit on the music for SO long, before it could be released.

Who produced the release – what did they bring to it?
Oz Craggs of Hidden Track Records produced all of our current and upcoming releases. Oz’s alternative rock background gave DARLIN’ that extra rocky edge that you hear in our sound.

What do you want the listener to take away from listening to your music?
Positivity! Our music is about love and relationships but the melodies and delivery have been designed to be uplifting and wholesome.

How does a track normally come together? Can you tell us something about the process?
Sure! So Dan usually creates the skeleton, then he brings it to me and we put the meat and muscles on the thing. Then the guys learn the demo and we bring it to rehearsals, we play it as written a few times and then eventually will rip it apart section by section to see what we can tighten and improve. Only after that do we re-demo everything ahead of going into the studio with Oz and laying down the final version. Oz also has a great amount of input in the tracks at this final stage.

What band/artists have influenced you the most since you started this project, and why?
Toto, Fleetwood Mac, Blondie, Foreigner – to name some of the oldies. Then bands like Paramore, Blossoms, Clean Cut Kid are all current artists that have inspired us and our sound.

What countries would you like to tour? Are there any standout venues you’d like to play in?
Wembley stadium is the dream (dream big right?) but to be honest, taking our music on tour to ANY country would be an absolute blessing. It’s been a while since any of us were in touring bands and playing our music whilst seeing the world is one of the main reasons we do what we do.

If you could pick one track for our readers to listen to in order to get a taste of your music, what would you pick, and why?
‘New Sad Song’. I think this really encompasses everything great about DARLIN’, including the music video which was extremely fun to film.

What ambitions do you have for the band/your career?
When we started out, we wanted to try and get on Radio 1. Within two months we’ve managed to achieve that, so next is to play as many awesome festivals and supports as we can, throughout 2023.

Finally, as you leave the stage, what are your parting words?
Be good to one another, time is finite, life is short so have a positive impact whilst you’re here by spreading love and joy.

For more info visit facebook.com/thebanddarlin