Dear Darling has just released their first full length record. It is a very personal record...a collection of songs that reflect the real lives of the members of Dear Darling, and their friends and families...appropriately titled "Songs of Friends and Family." The record was a long process, being recorded and mixed in whatever little spare time could be found, by the bass player, Kory Kruckenberg. It took just over a year to finish. Much of the recording was done at home, and with no money at all. It is a very raw, honest album that is put together in such a way that as each song passes, it seems as if it is a perfect introduction of what is to come in the next.
The band has been through many changes over the last year, during the making of this record...moving from a band with 2 guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards / rhodes, to a band of the 3 core members. Those members are Jesse Smith - Guitar and Vocals, Kory Kruckenberg - Bass, and Andy Fitts - Drums. They are the "core" members most importantly because of the close friendship they share. Dear Darling itself is, in fact, a byproduct of that friendship, and that is apparent in every aspect of the band.
Dear Darling has started playing more shows around Seattle. Having shared the stage with bands such as Headphones, Damien Jurado, Rosie Thomas, Spinto Band, Head of Femur, and The Prom, they are now making a name for themselves on the airwaves (starting 5/6/05). Seattle’s independent radio station, KEXP, has been playing several songs (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 8) off of Dear Darling’s new release for about 9 weeks now, charting every week since the first play. Reaching a high of ..37, and staying strong between ..60 and ..75, Songs of Friends and Family has been one of very few self-released records getting that much airplay. We are also very proud to be a part of KEXP’s fist ever iTunes Podcast.
02/24/05 - The Stranger, Seattle Washington:
"Dear Darling's upcoming record, Songs of Friends and Family (due out this Spring), sounds like the result of a sad soul being locked in a cold studio apartment with a few bottles of cheap liquor after a party where everything went wrong. It's a somber album but it's one that also possesses a beautiful sort of bitterness. And just like selfish depression itself, the band's melancholy batch of simplistic, honest indie rock is both comforting and tragic. At times, Jesse Smith's vocals come close to breaking, but they never actually do, and the guitar and bass intertwine, taking turns in the driver's seat while the drumming remains steady and grounded. Had I heard this record in December, when it was dark by noon and almost too cold to breathe, I might never have survived the winter."
05/05/05 - The Stranger, Seattle Washington:
"The show celebrates the release of Dear Darling's self-released full-length Songs of Friends and Family, which will break your heart and pick up the pieces all in one fell swoop.
Their sound is comparable to the more somber tunes on Death Cab for Cutie's Something About Airplanes but with a heavier (though still subtle) rock framework, thicker guitar, and occasional keyboard riffs. And there are sadder lyrics being sung by an even sadder-sounding boy (Jesse Smith), whose voice amazingly wavers on the edge of meltdown.
When he sings, "You're the one with problems here/if you can't love me now/I can't wait for you, my dear/to come around" on "When Love Doesn't Love You Back," one of the more aggressive songs on the album, everyone currently batting for Team Heartbreak will probably feel a little empathetic lump form in his or her throat."
05/07/05 - threeimaginarygirls.com - as guests on KEXP:
Dear Darling - "El Dorado National Forest"
This track is from the somber and lovely Dear Darling release Songs Of Friends And Family. "El Dorado National Forest" is the perfect beginning to a dreamy mix tape for your secret crush, and not just because their name is Dear Darling.
The CD will be available at shows, as well as Sonic Boom Records, in Fremont and Ballard, and Easy Street Recods on Queene Anne. If you would like to use paypal, please e-mail...
deardarlingmusic@hotmail.com
The record is $10. If you would like us to ship it to you, it will be $12.
Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I’m playing at the Q Café in Seattle next Friday May 30th at 8PM. Cover is $8 and Justin Grounds and Ari Neufeld, who have some great music, will be playing too. Hope to see you there!
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