Guildford's Darko are set to release their third EP, Sea Of Trees, via Lockjaw Records (UK) and Bird Attack Records (US) on September 8. As TeamRock premieres the band's hugely entertaining new video Atlas to Atlantis we caught up with guitarist Rob Piper for a quick introductory chat.
Q. Darko are a new name to the website: can you tell us how the band came together and what was your original vision for the group?
The band came together in 2009 with a joint love for fast music and just wanted to play shows and make some music. The fact we are touring all over Europe and have people listening all over the world is pretty cool, we never thought about getting this far and it’s bloody great fun.
Q. Who are the bands/writers/artists who’ve most informed your sound?
We all listen to a pretty diverse spectrum of music, but definitely the melodic hardcore punk bands like Propagandhi, A Wilhelm Scream and Strung Out all have played a major influence on what we do, as well as bands closer to home like Fair Do’s, Almeida, Stillbust and Trails.
Q. In recent years British punk bands have been rather overshadowed by their US counterparts: what do you make of the state of the punk nation in the UK right now?
There are loads of fantastic punk bands in the UK right now, as mentioned above, who we take influence from. Gnarwolves are a great punk band smashing the world right now, and touring nonstop flying the flag for great UK punk.
Q. We’re previewing your new video Atlas to Atlantis on the site: what can you tell us about the song?
Atlas to Atlantis is a pretty good representation musically of what we are about - fast and punchy with some melodic lines for good measure. The lyrics are a tale of a salvaged handwritten letter in a bottle whose discovery emotionally captivates the observer. Atlas to Atlantis is the centre of the narrative that runs through the entire EP.
Q. Atlas to Atlantis is taken from the new Sea Of Trees EP: with tens of thousands of bands competing for our attention, give us a damn good reason why someone reading this should seek it out.
Well it’s the latest blast of Darko and only takes around 14 minutes to listen so why the heck not! There are some twists and turns in conventions and some pretty fun moments, and for all those who like a story you can delve into the lyrical content and discover the world inside.
Q. Describe the current Darko mind-set in just five words.
Fast, Heavy, Energy, Touring, Fun.
