Seattle's finest garage punks hit the bullseye with this new album release!
Critically acclaimed Seattle-based band The Darts have been busy, and following a decade of heavy touring across the USA, Europe and beyond, they are now ready to unleash a new album upon the masses. This record celebrates All Hallows Eve in their own, customary, garage / horror-punk kind of way. The Darts realised that this annual spook-a-thon needed more songs to commemorate the event, and the result is ‘Halloween Love Songs‘, which is due for release on March 3rd. Recorded at Station House Studios in L.A, and produced by Grammy award- winning Mark Rains, this 13-track release sounds like a hauntingly winning recipe..
The Darts are :
Nicole Laurenne – Lead vocals, Farfisa organ, piano, Hammond organ, wurlitzer, mellotron, music box, glockenspiel.
Rebecca Davidson – Guitars.
Lindsay Scarey – Bass, screams.
Rikki Styxx – Drums, tambourine, percussion, screams, dog bowls.
Nicole Laurenne tells us that Side A of the album tries to encapsulate the early evening party spirit of Halloween, whilst Side B is strictly for after dark sessions. It’s game on then, as the first song we encounter is entitled, ‘Midnight Creep’, which was the lead-off single from this new 13-track album. It features a creepy music box intro, before kicking into some quality rock n roll/surf music for everyone (including the undead) to enjoy. A nice guitar hook is also on display, as well as an organ solo straight out of an episode of The Addams Family.
‘Zombies On The Metro‘ follows hot on its heels, with its distinctive retro keyboard sound and an incredibly catchy chorus to scream along to.
‘Apocalypse‘ is the latest single to be released prior to the album, and it’s a pure rocker of a song, in an almost Jim Jones Allstars style. It’s an obvious single choice in its catchiness, and it boasts an enjoyable bass, drum and vocal breakdown. Nicole states, “This Is The Apocalypse!”, followed by an almost Middle Eastern guitar break. Apparently, this song was born out of Angers in France, after Nicole wandered through a huge medieval tapestry. She suddenly realised there was liberation in burning it all down. Freedom from suffering, freedom from crowns. “The lightning bolt struck me. The song practically wrote itself in the van, as we left the castle,” Nicole says.
‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ is up next, which slows things down a little, with its almost Hives-like, clean guitar sound. At times, this album reminds me of what it must sound like, if the B52’s were jamming with The Munsters.. that’s a good thing in my book.
‘Darkness’ signifies the graveyard shift segment of the album, where the song slows things down, for all you night owls out there. I can even detect the sound of a glockenspiel in the mix.. ‘Up In My Soul‘ brings the sound of The Cramps to the table, with Rebecca Davidson conjuring up a guitar sound to die for.
Buy / download your copy of ‘Halloween Love Songs‘ HERE
- Midnight Creep
- Zombies On The Metro
- Blood Runs Cold
- Vampires In Love
- Dream Ghost
- Every Night Is Halloween
- Apocalypse
- The Devil Made Me Do It
- Darkness
- Up In My Soul
- Haunt Me
- Shadow
- Late Drive
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I have been writing reviews for Brighton & Hove News, and more recently Vive Le Rock magazine for a few years now. Previously, I could be spotted playing drums for many a band over the decades. A noisy habit developed whilst wearing short trousers at school, and one that has had me touring around the UK and Europe. Punk rock is my life, but I am also quite eclectic. I am an avid gig go-er and music devourer, and can feel out of sorts if a gig date is not on the horizon. I have also been known to put gigs on myself in order to fill those gaps.
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