Darren Doherty
Darren Doherty has been an active recording and performing artist for the last 20 plus years. Despite being the primary songwriter in a variety of successful projects, it’s only now as he moves to produce, record and release music under his own name that he feels this is the most authentic representation and expression of himself. This can be felt in every choice of lyric, chord or production element that makes up the four tracks on his first EP ‘Darksides’. The EP acts as chrysalis that rebirths Darren in a new light. Four tracks that run the gamut of the human psyche always galloping toward the single sliver of hope at the end of the tunnel. Blending the disparate elements of rock, singer songwriter, experimental music and EDM to provide the vocabulary for his singular voice, Darksides feels and sounds like a battle fought and won.
The EDM influence is immediately felt during the short intro to ‘R.S.V.P’ and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was about to be a world of lasers and body paint. As soon as the delicate fingerpicking guitar joins its clear we are on a different journey. Juxtaposing these elements is only a taste of the special alchemy Darren brings to his tracks. The driving heartbeat of the song is a reflection of the lyrics that speak of an unshakeable commitment to a new path, and a dedication to that sense of purpose. Amidst the wealth of sounds, at the heart of the track is Darrens meloncollie melody that lilts more and more into hope as the track progresses.
Lead single ‘extraterrestrials’ from the outset screams to an unbridled optimism. Written while falling in love, Darren sought to capture this chaotic, fun and intense feeling in a blizzard of an upbeat melodious track. Finding it instantly struck a chord with everyone he played the track for, it became apparent that this resonated universally. After going through many iterations before it found its final form, Darren talks about how adding a more conventional drum sound provided the necessary pulse and drive allowing for more experimental production flourishes and sounds to add ear candy to the song. Lyrically, Darren paints pictures of scenes from a life, taking seemingly mundane moments that mutate into vibrancy and urgency. Somewhere, in the dead of the night someone is dancing to this illuminated in headlights of their car.
The first single from the EP, ‘Violence’ had its inception from a voice memo recording centred around the refrain of ‘Do you want me to fall backwards?’. This was the track that brought Darren to the conclusion that the best way to realize the sounds in his head was to self-produce. A decision that ups the stakes in accountability but allows Darren to get ever closer to representing his own unique voice. The track is a beautiful canvas woven from shimmering synths, reverse reverbs that sounds like whispers from ghosts and choral underpinnings. The multitude of melodies throughout the track the result is a lush yet haunting song that gives the listener something new to discover with every repeat listen.
Final and title track of the EP ‘darksides’ was written as an imagined conversation between two lovers whose ‘darksides’ matched, where flaws are balanced by positives, where they help each other strive for better and ‘illuminate’ the better angels of their nature. Born of an impatient Darren awaiting the arrival of a new guitar, picking up his acoustic and finding a contrasting melody that he took further still once full production was added to the track. Helping round out the EP back where it began, pulling from EDM/house influences the final moments of the EP are bathed in a stunning euphoria that allows you to get lost in the music, eyes closes and hands pulled into the sky, as explosions of sonic colour erupt all around.
Darren is wholly responsible for the recording, production and performances on darksides, a blessing and a curse. Taking this approach allows Darren to avoid having to compromise his sound or vision for the songs and wider body of work. Luckily, he says, he has a few trusted ears he can turn to when he finds himself getting lost in solitary vacuum this can create. As he moves to play these songs live, he wants them to change to for a live audience, essentially producing on the fly as he cues various midi controlled sounds alongside playing his trusted Fender Mustang or Les Paul, the guitar becomes a much more present instrument live. Despite Darren being the sole performer, live performances are intense and cathartic. Not afraid to bare his soul, this vulnerability and honesty shine through in Darren’s lyrics and performances lending an authenticity that you can’t help but get swept up in. In Darren’s own words, “darksides is about embracing your shadow side and being honest about it with someone in order to bring you closer together”.
Puscifer - Monsoons
Puscifer are Maynard James Keenan’s other other band. Monsoons is vintage Maynard weaving gorgeous dark melodies in multi tracked harmonies but instead of Tools tribal drums and heavy guitars it’s though hypnotic electronic beats and subtle keys and synths.
This mixture of textures can be heard on my last single ‘Violence’ and Maynard’s approach to melody and harmony has been inspiring me for more than half my life now.
Charli XCX - forever
I hadn’t heard of Charli before 2020 but her quarantine album ‘how I’m feeling now’ became my album of that year and I’ve been hooked ever since. The production on forever is a massive influence on the Darksides Ep, I had already been experimenting with crashing distorted sounds but hearing this gave me so much confidence to just press ahead and use bit crushing and get wilder with my production choices.
Angels & Airwaves - Hallucinations
As a teenager I was deep into Blink 182 and I followed Tom DeLonge to Angels and Airwaves. His best work exists here, by a country mile. Hallucinations is total Angels, epic, colourful and dramatic, pulsating and hopeful but it’s the bridge section with the exploding arpeggiated synths building to a glorious climax that always blows me away.
MUNA - Navy Blue
They’re called the greatest band in the world for a reason you know! Since I discovered them on a football podcast in 2018 I think I’ve listened to MUNA more than any other artist. I hope my music at its best can help people through tough times like they’ve helped me and many others. They write and produce everything themselves with incredible results so they’re one of the acts I look up to most in that regard.
Fever Ray - Kandy
I was properly addicted to this song. So much so my partner and I booked a holiday to Amsterdam to see them perform and it was worth every penny. Kandy got me through the door with Fever Ray but the rest of the catalogue is just as strong. Dark gothic tinged electro that’s sexy and mysterious, what’s not to love?
Wilco - I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
I had to try hard to get into Wilco but I’m so pleased I did. The courage to write a beautiful acoustic song and then serve it up to the arrangement and experimental music gods is what I love about them. To have the confidence to smother your song in angular noises and make bold unexpected choices that could possibly propel it to something greater or destroy it is one of the cornerstones I’ve used to make my newest work.
Rush - Red Sector A
There’s a touch of minimalism about this 80’s Rush song which is not a word normally associated with them. It’s an icy synth driven song with a very serious story underneath and a killer guitar solo, basically everything I aspire to have in music.
Tool - Fear Inoculum
It’s the mood of Tools music that finds its way into my music more than anything else. No list of mine would be complete without a Tool song and I could have picked any of them.
Alanis Morissette - Her
Her is from the most recent studio album ‘Such Pretty Forks in The Road’ and it’s my favourite Alanis record. The self examination, the awareness and the honesty in her words I find nowhere else. I don’t see anyone doing it on her level. I think perhaps Scott Hutchison from Frightened Rabbit was operating on a similar beam before he passed and both these writers had an enormous influence on my writing.
Therapy? - Bad Mother
Some classic mid 90’s alternative rock to close out the show. I love the period where rock bands started to mess with loops and sound FX to give the music more colour and intrigue. Therapy? Drafted in DJ David Holmes to create segues between songs on the Infernal Love album and they filter into the songs, I’ve always admired the ambition of that choice. Lush guitar tones and religious symbolism being screamed in anger. That’ll do for me.
