Darlingside - “Darkening Hour”
Photo by Shervin Lainez
Alt-folk foursome Darlingside arrive on the blog today with “Darkening Hour,” a contemplative and introspective production that demands a good, long look inward.
The song begins with the warm plucking of an acoustic guitar– the kind of sound that is generally only possible by way of analogue gear and we are immediately jealous that we can never replicate the same sound at home. We quickly forgive them for causing this envy once the rhythm section arrives, bringing with it the sweet tenor of Don Mitchell. His voice is sincere and the delivery is void of any modern production tricks– it’s as though he is right next to you as he sings. And if you’ve ever read any of our blog posts, you will already know that this is one of our favorite aspects of modern folk music.
Before we even reach the one-minute mark, the vocal harmonies arrive, which is often the thing that we find ourselves anticipating in these folksier numbers. And people, if you’re recording music at home, it doesn’t cost a thing to layer your vocals and it is often the determining factor on whether or not we feature your music on the blog. But what Darlingside have done here with the vocals is quite magical and memorable and it was at this point that we knew we would devote some space to them on our site.
After the first chorus, our ears are met by some keys and we find ourselves wondering just how much wider this arrangement could be. Make no mistake– this performance is still delightfully stripped back, but the additional elements and ear candy ensure that we remain engaged throughout the track’s duration. And that’s all we can ask from a song that allows us to escape from the world for roughly three and a half minutes. But if you require a longer getaway, we suggest you catch them live:
“Darkening Hour” comes from the upcoming LP, Everything Is Alive, available everywhere on July 28.
-TM