Acclaimed alt-folk quartet Darlingside return with a brand-new single “Ocean Bed”, available now on More Doug/Thirty Tigers.
“Ocean Bed” delves into the theme of stillness—in water, darkness, and in the endless repetitions of our compartmentalized present day. When they sing, “Restart in the old familiar dark we’re swimming through/ Long view into the blue,” listeners are forced to confront the opposition forces of our current stasis and the inevitably of change just beneath the calm surface.
The band, Dave Senft (vocals, bass), Don Mitchell (vocals, guitar, banjo), Auyon Mukharji (vocals, violin, mandolin), and Harris Paseltiner (vocals, cello, guitar), self-released their first album Pilot Machines in 2012. Then in 2016 they had a meteoric live success story in the UK following the release of ‘Birds Say’. During three sold-out tours, the band’s unique performances brought instant adoring fans, tracing a rise from the unexpected 2016 mainstage performance at Cambridge Folk Festival through to the Summer of 2017 with a TV performance live from GLASTONBURY on BBC 2 and a triumphant sold-out London UNION CHAPEL show which garnered rave reviews.
By 2018 and their follow-up album Extralife, they had not only secured a fast growing fanbase but demonstrated they were more than able at driving their own path…
In Extralife you will uncover a taste of contemporary folk culture with a dash of panache, fuelled by a bond that allows four hard-working musicians to seamlessly fuse their skills, and clearly, to create something that they enjoyed creating. There is something fulfilling about listening to music that feels like it was truly made for the sake of music, and for the devout fan of indie folk, Darlingside has found an engrossing niche.
Sarah Beclaire, Folk Radio UK
May 2020 marked their ten-year anniversary…looking forward they already look set to ready for another major milestone.
Photo Credit: Robb Stey