Questionable Corner: Those Darlins'

Those Darlins have created quite a splash so far this year. With just a three song demo and a reputation as a crazy ass live band these three ladies from Murfreesboro, Tennessee quickly became a band to watch. Since then they have tour relentlessly and somehow found time to record their full length debut! The self-titled debut will be available on Tuesday July 7th and is a record you absolutely must add to your collection (it's already available on vinyl!). Oh and true to their reputation Those Darlins are still touring an insane amount including two shows in New York on July 9th and 10th. The rest of the tour dates are down below the interview so make sure you read the whole thing, download the first single from the new album, and buy your tickets to see Those Darlins when they stop at a town near you!

PTST: It seems like a lot of people, myself included, are really excited to hear your debut full length. How does the new record compare with your three song EP? Is there any change in the style or sound, or did you guys stick to what you were doing on the EP?
Those Darlins: The sound on the album is more varied and diverse than the EP which draws from a lot of classic country music. There are more influences represented such as 60's girl groups, garage rock and punk. We used a lot of different instrumentation with more backing vocals, string arrangements, and auxiliary instruments. Being a relatively new band, our sound has changed over the course of the recording sessions which took about 9 months to complete. We would travel to NYC for a few days and work on some songs and tour our way back so a lot of the new material was tested out on the road as we were thinking about how to communicate the music on record. During that time, we added drums as a permanent fixture in the live show and this changed some of the options we had on guitar, adding distortion pedals and a more amped up sound.

PTST: What made you choose to self-title the album? Were there any other titles discussed?
Those Darlins: Well, we had our hearts set on calling the album "In The Wilderness" for a very long time. And we kind of started making a general theme to go along with that concept. Since we had started in Tennessee and came to New York to record, a lot of the songs on the album kind of reflected that transition. It seemed perfect since we kind of grew up in the wilderness and the ironic thing was that NYC seemed more like the jungle to us. We did some instrumental noise jams to use or interludes, where we made up stories like 'we are lost on a deserted island, we're very uneasy, but not totally freaked out yet' and then we all played whatever we thought that would sound like. In the end we didn't focus on the wilderness concept as much, and instead focused on making a bold statement that represents us with our debut. We decided that naming it Those Darlins was a classic way of making a strong impression of ourselves and the music we created.

PTST: Back in March you ladies did a Daytrotter session with a few previously unreleased tracks, can we expect to see these on the new album?
Those Darlins: Yes. There’s a noisy version of "Who's That Knockin' On My Window" on the album, a stripped down version of "Glass to You", and one of our singles, "Red Light Love".

PTST: Everyone knows about Nikki, Kelley, & Jessi Darlin, but it seems that no one ever talks
about your fourth member, who is he? Does he get to use the Darlin moniker as his last name as well? What's it like for him to be the only dude in the van?
Those Darlins: Sherrif Lin is his OWN ENTITY! and thank you for asking about him! He is a great friend of ours and he was also our roommate at the time we were searching for a drummer. He is a songwriter, singer, and guitar player mainly, so we didn't initially even consider him for the job. That is, until one day our manager pointed out that he's a badass drummer as well, so we asked him to try it out and he's perfect! He is not the only boy in the van, we have our tour manager Captain Byron, and they constantly annoy the crap out of us. But at least they have each other to hold at night.

PTST: If you guys were on this side of the table, how would you describe the sound of Those
Darlins?
Those Darlins: Stand up comedy - with a twist.

PTST: Growing up what did you spend time listening to? Has that had an effect on the sound of
the band at all?
Those Darlins: We listened to a lot of 60's rock and roll, and were glued to the oldies station. Lots of pop groups and girls singing in sugary harmony. Later we got into louder rock and roll, more garage and punk. Eventually we found our way to the classic country. It definitely influenced us.

PTST: You guys have toured relentlessly recently, do you ever get tired of being on the road and just yearn for home?
Those Darlins: Nope! We all live together in the same house, so getting home from tour is like being on tour, except a slightly bigger space and not as interesting. We love touring, it is our life, and every town we go to, every show we play, there is an excitement about what may lay in store. It's the best job in the world. The only thing I miss about my home are my friends...and my bed. But I hardly even think of home until I get back and I remember it is there! I guess I'm a bit of a nomad by nature.

PTST: What have you guys been listening to on the road these days?
Those Darlins: We make mixed tapes. Lin makes great ones. Everything... Iggy and the Stooges, Joe Meek, Velvet Underground, The Byrds, Black Lips, King Khan (whether it be with the Shrines or BBQ), Stones, Richard Hell, Johnny Thunders, The Cascades, Red Sovine, The Shirelles, Hank Ballard, T. Rex, Beatles, Stones, and ON and ON and ON. We also like to listen to stand up comedians... like George Carlan, Mitch Hedburg , Woody Allen, and Eddie Murphy.

PTST: How do the folks at home feel about your music? Are you well supported back in Tennessee?
Those Darlins: Yeah, I think Tennessee shows a lot of support. Especially from the music scene in Nashville. There are a lot of bands in Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and Murfreesboro that have really been so helpful to us. The Basement and The 5 Spot have been really supportive of us, not to mention the High Tone in Memphis and JJs Bohemia in Chattanooga. Of course there are always a bunch that don't dig it, or don't get it but that goes with anywhere you live.

PTST: You spent a lot of time recording and playing in New York as well, do you consider it a sort of second home yet or do you feel like outsiders in the city?
Those Darlins: YES! We love New York! We spent so much time up there working on the album that we got surprisingly used to it. We do completely consider it our second home, and actually we have had serious withdrawals from not being there in so long.

PTST: While touring you have played with some awesome musicians, Dan Auerbach, The Avvett Brothers, etc. Who would you say is your favorite that you've played with so far?
Those Darlins: Its so hard to choose! O'Death was a fucking party. One of them peed in our washing machine. Deer Tick is such a sweet group of idiots. Drinks and prank calls. Dan Auerbach and Hacienda were cool guys and we learned about being on a longer tour and playing larger venues. It was awesome. We also just did a few dates with Elvis Perkins in Dearland. They are complete sweethearts. Wish we would’ve had more dates. CAN NOT WAIT TO PLAY WITH THE BLACK LIPS OR KING KHAN, BBQ and SHRINES. Seriously this shit needs to happen all ready!

PTST: Everyone knows that musicians get their fair share of groupies, but is it different for a
group that consists of three women? Do you get hit on wherever you play? Do you ever get sick of it?
Those Darlins: Well, I don't really know. Because I've never been a guy in a band...but I can guess - it's probably not that different. I mean, guys get chicks digging on them, and girls get guys digging on them and sometimes guys get guys digging on them and girls get girls digging on them. Maybe its different because when you are a young woman and some big creepy guys is breathing down your neck, you may feel a little more threatened than if some dude was getting hit on by some girl. This happens a lot. Old men love us and we love them until they push a big creepy grandpa hug on you. Yes this happens pretty much everywhere, and yes, we do get sick of it.

PTST: What do you most look forward to when you come home from touring?
Those Darlins: Jessi: My bed! And going to see my family if I have enough time off.
Kelley: Being reunited with my records, playing in the garden, and hanging out with my dog Chewie.
Nikki: Hanging in our "Adult Lounge" (AKA kiddie pool), shootin' BB guns!

Listen: Those Darlins - "Red Light Love"
Those Darlins - "The Whole Damn Thing"

Tour Dates:
7/7: Arlington, VA @ Iota Club & Cafe
7/9: NYC @ Mercury Lounge +
7/10: Brooklyn @ Southpaw **, ++
7/11: Philadelphia @ Johnny Brenda's
7/13: Pittsburgh @ Club Café
7/14: Cleveland @ Beach Land Tavern
7/15: Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room
7/16: Indianapolis @ Radio Radio
7/17: Chicago @ Schubas
7/18: Minneapolis @ 7th St. Entry
7/20: Rock Island, IL @ Rock Island Brewing Company
7/21: Omaha, NE @ Slowdown Front Room
7/22: Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
7/23: Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
7/24: St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
7/25: Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone
9/18 & 19: Bristol, VA @ Bristol Roots & Reunion Festival

+ W/Heavy Trash (Jon Spencer) CD RELEASE PARTY
** W/So So Glos BROOKLYN RELEASE PARTY
++ W/We Are Country Mice BROOKLYN RELEASE PARTY