A Conversation With Darlingside
Acclaimed indie-folk quartet Darlingside release the upcoming album ‘Everything Is Alive’ (out this August via Thirty Tigers).
‘Everything Is Alive’ finds Darlingside taking risks, a departure for a band known for ubiquitous vocal harmonies and a uniquely democratic songwriting process. While lush arrangements and melodic word-building still flourish throughout the album, Darlingside is embracing the individual strengths of band members Don Mitchell, Auyon Mukharji, Harris Paseltiner and David Senft. The results are compelling, offering listeners an extra dimension of the band’s trademark lusciousness.
Darlingside is gearing up for an extensive U.S. tour to support ‘Everything Is Alive’, beginning August 29 in Nashville, TN. The tour lineup also marks a change for Darlingside, as Senft relinquishes his road duties and the album’s drummer Ben Burns and singer Molly Parden join the live run. A full list of tour dates is below and on the band’s website HERE.
NSGs Billy Vitch caught up with band member Auyon to talk about the band’s journey so far and the new album.
NSG: Good morning guys and how are you, what have you been doing today and how’s that going?
Auyon: Hello! Auyon here, representing one-quarter of Darlingside. I play the mandolin, and violin, and sing in the band, and I’m so pleased to be doing this interview with you. My day consisted of some gardening, a band meeting with the rest of the team, and stopping by a friend’s place to pick up the organs (heart, liver, and testes) of a turkey he hunted. It has been a productive day, in short.
NSG: So where did you grow up and how did you meet and form Darlingside?
Auyon: I was born in Virginia and grew up in a suburb of Kansas City called Prairie Village. I headed east for college, which is where I met the rest of the guys in the band. We all attended Williams College, a small liberal arts school in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. After our youngest members graduated, we moved into a house together on the Connecticut River in Western Massachusetts and started playing shows not long afterwards. (Sidenote: if you ever make it out to this corner of the world, I’d recommend checking out the Montague Bookmill in Montague, MA for books, and Hungry Ghost Bread in Northampton, MA for baked goods.)
NSG: Your new album ‘Everything is Alive’ is set for release this August. Can I ask, when did you initially start writing the album, who wrote it and what’s it about?
Auyon: Yes! We can’t wait for the release. All four of us wrote the album together—our writing style is determinedly democratic. For this album, we first did several weeks of lyric brainstorms together. We then each took a handful of ideas, polished them up, and then presented them back to the rest of the band. As a result, you’ll hear more of our individual voices here than on our previous (more harmony-laden) work, which is an exciting change-up for us. As far as what it’s about, different themes pop up for me each time I take a spin. On my most recent listen-through, I thought about memory, disorientation, and the power of self-direction.
NSG: The first single “Eliza I See” on the album recalls band member Harris Paseltiner’s perception of the passage of time as he experiences it with his young child. That’s quite an interesting subject, one I think a lot of us ponder. Could you tell us a bit more about it and the song?
Auyon: I, unfortunately, can’t speak directly to Harris‘ personal parenting experience, but I did recently read an article on the US National Public Radio website wherein a British neuroscientist named Robin Carhart-Harris described how brain scans of adult minds on LSD look very similar to the brain scans of babies. To be able to tap into that childlike sense of awe and wonder, either vicariously by hanging out with an actual child or by entering an altered mental state, is a wonderful kind of magic. The song itself is our first single from the album, and it has been such a pleasure to see and hear it out in the world!
NSG: How would you describe your sound and who would you say has influenced you along the way?
Auyon: In describing our sound, “vocally driven indie-folk” is probably where I’d start. And the people who have most influenced me personally would be my bandmates Don, Dave, and Harris. They have immeasurably broadened my musical awareness, and have fundamentally changed the way I think about writing and creating music. I am so grateful to be in a band with them.
NSG: What do you think makes a good song?
Auyon: So many things can make a good song! A deep groove, a catchy hook, a resonant set of lyrics. I am moved by many things.
NSG: How did you guys manage during the pandemic personally and as a band, were there any pros or cons?
Auyon: It was a tough time, but we were fortunate to have both a steadfast management team and a devoted base of listeners who stayed supportive and tapped in when everything was remote. We are so grateful to be back on the road again.
NSG: We’re a Liverpool-based music publication, do you have any plans on playing here in the near future?
Auyon: I certainly hope so. I believe we’ll be heading to the UK this winter, and I’d love to come through Liverpool. I got to visit a few years back and loved the city. I quite enjoy the term “Scouser“!
NSG: If you could sit down with three people from history, past or present, who would they be and why?
Auyon: Oscar Wilde for wit, T-Pain for style, Joan of Arc for swordsmanship.
(Darlingside)
NSG: It’s been a long winter or so it seems! What do you guys have planned for the summer?
Auyon: Our album release is July 28! We’ll spend most of this month gearing up to celebrate, and then we’ll head out on a grand release tour of the US, followed by some UK dates this winter.
NSG: What do you think is the meaning of life?
Auyon: Spending time with people you love.
To follow Darlingside on social media click on the links below
