The Darlings – Self Titled

On their debut EP, SoCal’s The Darlings hope to make a name for themselves, to stand out amongst the sea of copy cats and create something that actually captivates the listener and gets them coming back for more.

And on their debut EP, SoCal’s The Darlings successfully complete almost all that that thy hoped to do when they released it.

Instead of following the trend and creating a sound ready to be picked up and co-opted by MTV, The Darlings have taken word from some more experienced and older punk acts. Merging together Sing The Sorrow era AFI and Tiger Army with some more straight forward punk rock like Social Distortion and Face to Face, the quartet creates a fast paced sound built on the rhythm section. The vocals switch between that of Davey Havoc and Nick 13 seamlessly. The resemblance is so close sometimes its scary. Add in some background vocals (Dead Light) and you cement the AFI reference and when the bass takes the forefront (Lacerate), you hear some slight rockabilly in their sound like Tiger Army.

The record has a generally ominous attitude to it with songs about death and demons; but they never go overboard with it or force it down your throat. Instead the lyrics just help set the mood along with the slightly darker and heavier Alkaline Trio like music. While there are a few guitar flourishes, like the bridge in It’s Gone, it is often the rhythm section that really pushes the EP. The drumming is straight forward and strong, to the point where you tap your foot without noticing and the bass supports it; listen to Cruel World, which sounds slightly like The Matadors, to hear it. They only really stumble when they pull it back and try an acoustic rock track with Love Story. There they sound like a radio rock wanna be act (think Staind) which ends the album on a slightly sour note.

So while they may not be treading on brand new territory, The Darlings have picked the right influences to keep the listener’s attention which makes them stand out. However, the record doesn’t fulfill all that they had hoped in the way that it doesn’t really bring you back wanting more. While solid and an entertaining release, the record lacks an occasional punch to really stop you and make you want to replay it. Maybe if the vocals were a little higher in the mix they would have it; as it is, The Darlings is a good EP but one that may be a little forgettable once you stop playing it. Despite that, I’d still be interested to see what the band can come up with next.