“Formed in 2019, Darlin! The Band is the combination of two musical universes. Michael had spent years as a staple cabaret act in NYC’s underground queer theatre scene. Wesley, Can, and Ben, meanwhile, had been cutting their teeth in renowned NYC venues with other bands. Via one preternatural Craigslist ad, the four found each other. And now, Darlin! The Band fuses the worlds of its mates to create a candescent blend of glowing synths, confessional songwriting, clangourous rhythms and grooving textures.”
What first got you into music?
In our earliest rehearsals, we all related to the fact that we felt called to do this from a very early age. It was almost as if there was no other option, even as children.
Michael (singer): I started putting on concerts for my family in my backyard the moment I was introduced to the Spice Girls!
Wes (synth/bass): My family would tell me when I was a baby, “the music playing will have a direct impact on your mood.” I remember that really well. And my passion just kept escalating as I grew up.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
We would describe our music as alt-glam pop. It’s got a sparkliness to it like it’s been doused in glitter. But it’s also got introspection – both in the lyrics, which tell very personal tales of anxiety, coming of age, and love had and lost; or in the music itself, which we try to keep always moving into unexpected places.
What is your creative process like?
Our creative process comes from workshopping band jams and ideas that are brought in. There are no bad ideas in jamming! We play the ideas, take them home, develop them, and refine them before the next time we meet up. It is very much a group effort.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Ben (guitar): I know it’s probably common, but Jack Antonoff is on fire these days. I’d be curious to hear, what we’d cook up with him. I’m sure a Lana Del Rey with Darlin’ the band track would be pretty tasty.
Michael: Rina Sawayama. She so effortlessly brought that early-2000s TRL nostalgia into the present day and made something brand new with it, that doesn’t at all sound corny or throwbacky!
Wes: Brian Eno, or Joshua Eustis of Telefon Tel Aviv, or Justin Medal Johnsen. From a production standpoint, they are always able to bring something special out of the artist that they work with. A fun collaboration would be with the band HEALTH. They are so excellent at collaborating with other artists.
With the pandemic, how have you found a way to get your music and your message out there?
During the pandemic, we became a bit of a virtual band! We met over Zoom every week and recorded all of our parts at home, then worked together to create demos and hire virtual mixing and mastering engineers. Looking back, it was extremely depressing, but it was also a weirdly productive period for us. We made a Zoom music video for our song “Stealing a Glance” for NPR’s Tiny Desk Competiton and it was featured on NPR’s social media. That was a really proud moment. And learning how to do all of these things virtually really led us up to this current moment because so many of the parts to our new release of “Breathe” were accomplished virtually and remotely!
What would you be doing right now if it weren’t for your music career?
Wes: I would be working on music scoring and sound editing for movies. I have a deep interest in sound
in general – both within and outside of pop music.
Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
We love playing Rockwood. And we just played Dave’s Lesbian Bar’s Battle of the Queer Bands, which is a great organization raising money to restore lesbian bars in New York City, something that has severely dwindled. We have performed all around New York City – our favorite venues that have always welcomed us with open arms and shown us a good time include The Bitter End, Pianos, Mercury Lounge, and Bowery Electric!
Who are your top two favorite artists of all time? Why those artists?
Prince and Bowie because they did it their way, they were open to everything and really incorporated it into their sound. They had a great way of interpreting the changes around them and had a genuine love for experimentation.
Have you always been interested in music? Was there a particular song/performance that made you say “Woah! I want to do that!”?
Ben (guitar): My Chemical Romance at 2003 Warped Your. This was just as they were just starting to blow up and this was the “hometown” stop on the tour, so the band was especially great, and the crowd was wild and it seemed everyone knew every word to every song, gave me chills…along with a broken set of glasses, but totally worth it.
Michael (singer): Britney Spears at the 2000 VMAs, singing “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” into “Oops! I Did It Again.” The entire performance was so tight and packed such a punch in such a short period of time. By the end, she had practically burned the stage to the ground – then she blew a kiss to the audience like it was nothing. I wanted to do that so fucking badly.
Do you have a cherished childhood teddy bear or other stuffed animal sitting on your bed at home?
Michael: I have had the same sock monkey since I was a child. I always keep it close to my bed – and my heart. I have no shame about this.
What would be the ideal food to have cooked for you on a date night?
We want our dates to go all-out. We want a full steak dinner – medium rare, red wine, a tasty salad to boot. We will gladly do the dishes – that is only fair; and we at Darlin! The Band cherishes nothing more than fairness.
What would be a good theme song for your life?
“Oh! Darling” by the Beatles – for obvious reasons!
If you had to describe yourself as a flavor, what would it be?
Spicy!
If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?
I would love to just remove the gene that develops and sustains stage fright. Ah, yes, that anxiety gene. Everything always works out once we start a set, so I don’t know what purpose it is serving to get nervous beforehand!
As a kid were you ever frightened of a monster under the bed or in the cupboard?
As a kid!? We still are!
Which are cooler? Dinosaurs or Dragons?
They are both so deeply and intrinsically cool, and we would be extremely interested in what a collaboration between them would look like.
Do you have any lucky items, objects, or traditions?
I find our packing-up routine before and after a show to be something of a tradition at this point. You would think packing up instruments would be a hard ritual to romanticize. But it gives all of us a chance to catch up about our personal lives, make jokes about our playing, talk out our nerves or celebrate a show well played. And it is, in its own way, a type of extra-musical collaboration we have perfected.
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