Music Review – Darlia – I’ve Never Been to Ohio

Only two to go after this before I’ll have to start writing some original content!

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Like Darlia, I’ve Never Been to Ohio either, however unlike them it had never crossed my mind to write a song about it.

The Blackpool, UK based three piece are doing their best to bring Rock back to the masses. Their first EP Knock Knock had an awesome triplet of Grunge/Punk hustling on it, with singer and guitarist Nathan Day sounding like Alex Turner and Kurt Cobain had been genetically spliced and made to share a voice box. Day also appears to have purloined a time machine, travelled back to 2010, and misappropriated Noel Fielding’s wardrobe and make-up artist.

The new song is a little more laid back than their previous work, starting with an Alice in Chains face-full of noise and rarely letting up to allow the listener to take in the brazen dropped tuning and Dave Williams’ overdriven bassline, which powers the track forward. Jack Bentham keeps time well, without doing anything too extravagant to dampen the energy of the song. While being no Matt Cameron, he certainly has a few more drumming chops than, say, Ringo Starr when The Beatles started out.

As the track barrels along you start to get hints of other influences, indie, baggy, even dance makes itself known through the repeating words of the chorus, but at heart it truly is a rock song. Pounding, heavy chords and a youthful exuberance smack you in the face from start to finish.

Up to this point, EPs have been the raison d’etre of Darlia, and it’s worked well for them. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that Petals, their first full length album being released on the 23^rd of February, can encompass the passion and excitement of their previous short form factor releases. I’m certainly looking forward to finding out!