The Darts return with a concept album? While not a concept album, there is a theme that runs through the record, with the first half something to play during the trick or treat portion of Halloween and the flipside giving way to the after-hours. On their 6th album, not counting their best of, the Darts have delivered an excellent record full of swagger, hooks, and songs. Joining Nicole Laurenne (vocals/ organ/ keyboards) on this album are Lindsay Scarey (bass, backing vocals), former and once again Dart Rikki Watson (drums, backing vocals), and Rebecca Davidson (guitar).
First single ‘Midnight Creep’ kicks off the record with a haunting music box melody, giving way to a garage-rocking start. The mix gives a nice bit of space between the instruments, with the song setting the tone for the album. One of my favourites from the album follows with ‘Zombies on the Metro’, reminding me of some long commutes to work back in the day. The song has a great groove with a catchy chorus that sits right in the middle of the mix. There seems to be a bit more farfisa and piano on this album, but it is not at the expense of the other instruments. The Darts do a great job mixing up their tempos across an album. They crank it up a bit with ‘Blood Runs Cold’, which features great dynamics between the pre-chorus and the chorus. Laurenne presents a cool Farfisa solo before the band rips through the end of the song.
Groovy ‘Vampires in Love’ keeps the party going with a chorus seemingly pulled out of an old B-movie with a killer soundtrack. ‘Dream Ghost’ utilises the pre-chorus to slow the song way down before unleashing the chorus. Laurenne utilises a softer voice throughout the verses and then adds some attitude during the choruses. The band channels an old Marilyn Monroe musical style approach and sends it through an Addams Family filter to come up with the wonderful ‘Every Night is Halloween.’ This leads us to ‘Apocalypse’, the second single from the album. It is a balance of rage with smooth verses that should be a constant in the live setting. It could have fit on a Love Me Nots album back in the day.
‘Devil Made Me Do It’ follows with a catchy riff by Davidson. Laurenne works on some different vocal inflexions to elevate the song. Watson and Scarey do a great job keeping the groove going. An extended musical intro ushers in the slower, haunting ‘Darkness.’ Scarey’s bass provides the lightning start to ‘Up In My Soul’ where the Darts become a hard-rocking blur of greatness. The band have done a great job sequencing the record to maximise dynamics and flow.
As we make our way to the final quarter of the album, ‘Haunt Me’ provides a showcase for Laurenne’s vocals, where she incorporates a dreamier approach to the chorus that remains firmly in the Darts camp and not her Black Violet project. ‘Shadow’ was my instant favourite the first time I played the album. The organ and keyboards through this one immediately captured me and have not let go. Combined with the killer guitar riff, the song moves into pure perfection. It’s early days still, but this might be my favourite Darts song ever. That leaves a tall shadow for album closer ‘Late Drive,’ but the band deliver by utilising an approach where the song takes a slow winding groove that builds to its conclusion.
The Darts have been masterful in creating a musical canvas that allows a lot of latitude within what could be a restricted musical approach. They always sound like the Darts, and this might be my favourite album they have released so far. Like the upcoming Los Frankies album, this will also be an album I am talking about at the end of the year when I try to rank my top albums of the year.
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Author: Gerald Stansbury
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