Review #23 : The Darling Fire

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Review #23

Artist: The Darling Fire
Album: Dark Celebrations

If you haven’t heard of Florida’s The Darling Fire yet, it may tickle your fancy to know that this band is an under the radar supergroup that consists of ex-members of Dashboard Confessional, Poison the Well, and The Rocking Horse Winner.

    Starting things off big, TDF went right for the debut album release this June with their label, Spartan Records. “Dark Celebration” is an 8 track LP, produced by J. Robbins, who is most known for his work with bands, Government Issue and Jawbox. The songs are expertly recorded and have a soundscape vibe which I think is pretty rare in the alternative/punk rock genres. 
    One of the first things I did as soon as I began listening to the record was unintentionally compare TDF to The Cranberries! To me, I think this is a fantastic and positive comparison (I hope the band feels that way too) but I do wish my brain hadn’t done so right away. And that is because I wanted the band to have it’s own identity in my mind due to the fact that their sound is truly interesting and gripping. With that said, though it felt intentional, I did struggle at times to understand where I was on the album. Several of the songs tended to mesh into each other a little too well at various points (I won’t say which songs because I want people to form their own
opinions on the record).

    Additionally, there are some great guitar treats on “Dark Celebration”. Doing both guitar and vocals is frontwoman, Jolie Lindholm, and she is supported by Jeronimo Gomez and Matthew Short. Now, I’m not sure who is doing what, but the riffs incorporated into the bridge and throughout the ending of “Saints in Masquerade” are both moody and haunting. I love it. The rhythm part featured on “For the Loveless” is one of the more memorable guitar treatments on the record for me as well. Placing this as the first song immediately lets the listener know they are about to engage with a grunge/alternative experience similar to that of Bush,
and as I said earlier, The Cranberries.

    Vocally, Jolie’s voice is perfect for the band’s current sound. She delivers a solid performance on each song, and the lyrics she sings paint a picture fitting of the album’s title.
On future releases though, I would love to hear what she can do when displaying a wider vocal range.

    A couple of things to note about “Dark Celebration” are that you can purchase the album on vinyl in three differnet design schemes titled “Wildfire”, “Night Sky”, and “Timber”. The band currently has no scheduled tour dates, having just finished their most recent tour at the end of July, but you can listen to them on Spotify, YouTube, Google Play, and Apple Music too.

Until next time, check out their track, “Saints In Masquerade” below!  

By Ryan Hanratty
Frosted Green Productions


 

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