“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), which saw their ten-year anniversary in May of 2020, has long been praised for their harmonies and intelligent songwriting, described by NPR as “exquisitely-arranged, literary-minded, baroque folk-pop,” and which The New Yorker compared to David Crosby and the Byrds. Their dynamic presence (crowded tightly together onstage for the audience to witness four voices turn to a singular texture of sound), paired with their sharp wit and wordplay, have made them a live-performance favourite, prompting The Times to declare in its live review of the band’s Union Chapel show “Darlingside have a killer one-two punch – exquisite harmonies and dazzling charm”.
European breakthrough debut release, the widely praised ‘Birds Say’, marked the arrival of an eclectic, intelligent and dynamic band, who stretched the boundaries of folk, chamber pop, baroque and indie rock by melding the various styles together and creating something not easily categorised and very much their own. It led to a meteoric live success story in the UK. 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 TV and a triumphant, sold out London UNION CHAPEL show which garnered rave reviews. Second album ‘Extralife’, saw the band continue to move forward. Pensive and poetic lyrics were delivered with divine harmonies reminiscent of the Beach Boys, Fleet Foxes and Simon & Garfunkel.
The band, Dave Senft (vocals, bass), Don Mitchell (vocals, guitar, banjo), Auyon Mukharji (vocals, violin, mandolin), and Harris Paseltiner (vocals, cello, guitar), which saw their ten-year anniversary in May of 2020, has long been praised for their harmonies and intelligent songwriting, described by NPR as “exquisitely-arranged, literary-minded, baroque folk-pop,” and which The New Yorker compared to David Crosby and the Byrds. Their dynamic presence (crowded tightly together onstage for the audience to witness four voices turn to a singular texture of sound), paired with their sharp wit and wordplay, have made them a live-performance favourite, prompting The Times to declare in its live review of the band’s Union Chapel show “Darlingside have a killer one-two punch – exquisite harmonies and dazzling charm”.
European breakthrough debut release, the widely praised ‘Birds Say’, marked the arrival of an eclectic, intelligent and dynamic band, who stretched the boundaries of folk, chamber pop, baroque and indie rock by melding the various styles together and creating something not easily categorised and very much their own. It led to a meteoric live success story in the UK. 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 TV and a triumphant, sold out London UNION CHAPEL show which garnered rave reviews. Second album ‘Extralife’, saw the band continue to move forward. Pensive and poetic lyrics were delivered with divine harmonies reminiscent of the Beach Boys, Fleet Foxes and Simon & Garfunkel.
