(PR) Los Angeles-based indie pop-rock band Oh Darling will release their second disc, Oh Darling, on their own Creative Works/Oh Darling Music label on Nov. 17, 2009. The album will be available via the iTunes Music Store, Amazon, Rhapsody, Last.fm and other outlets. Produced by Gregg Williams (Blitzen Trapper, Dandy Warhols) with additional recording by Chris Roach (451 Recording), the eponymous album is Oh Darling's follow-up to 2008's critically adored "Nice Nice." The new collection is the fullest realization yet of the quartet's inventively bouncy twist on the new-wave pop tradition, recalling influences as diverse as Talking Heads, Blondie, Metric, Kate Bush, Phoenix, Built to Spill and Eels.
"We're super-excited about it," says frontwoman Jasmine Ash of the new set, which was recorded over the last year in Los Angeles and Portland. "It's more straightforward and driving than 'Nice Nice,' and captures our live energy better. It's all come together beautifully."
Even listeners unfamiliar with Oh Darling's name may well recognize songs like the spiky, infectious "I Like You, Baby," the edgy, compact rocker "Never Go Too Far," and the winsome "Colorful Day," which have been featured on such TV series as the CW's "One Tree Hill," Lifetime's "Drop Dead Diva" and USA's "Royal Pains," as well as commercials for Volkswagen. Other featured tracks on Oh Darling include the punchy infatuation anthem "So Cool," the ecstatic sugar rush "Just Love, Anyway" the sparkling, melancholy "We're Just That Way" and "Gotta End This Way," which manages to combine shimmering post-punk with swoony Brill Building pop.
Singer-keyboardist Ash, guitarist Daven Hall, bassist J.Marie Hall and drummer Jake Endicott began playing together in 2006 in Portland, Oregon, before making L.A. their base of operations; in the interim they've toured up and down the West Coast, opening for the 88 as well as headlining, and appeared at local venues like the Viper Room, Spaceland and the Hotel Cafι. And everywhere they've gone, they've left audiences spellbound and smiling.
Ash's gossamer vocals are undergirded by surprisingly muscular arrangements and wild tempo shifts, and the band's hooks alternate melodic sweetness with propulsive rock. The net effect, judging by the words of admiring reviewers, is equal parts enchantment and energy.
"It's impossible not to get a contact buzz from the band's buoyant, charming pop," declared the Portland Tribune. "Fronted by one of the cutest gals in town, Oh Darling possess an intriguing yet subtle mix of sexual tension, plus plenty of indie pop goodness in their delivery," proclaimed the music blog NadaMucho. "Jasmine Ash knows how to write catchy pop songs as delicious as Cheerios in chocolate milk." Flavorpill, meanwhile, praised their "intoxicating blend of indie rock" and "unapologetic, perfectly crafted pop punch." The Vanguard admired their "wealth of adorable melodies" and "healthy propensity for matching outfits."
Indeed, Ash and Hall do tend to coordinate their vibrant retro wardrobes onstage, eschewing sexpot clichιs in favor of classic, colorful, vintage frocks. Like Oh Darling's music, their look is both playful and beguiling. The band even presents a "fashion array" on OhDarlingMusic.com.
Oh Darling will be announcing their 2010 tour schedule imminently; in the meantime, look for them to continue captivating L.A. audiences. "We can't wait to bring this material on the road," guitarist Hall says, "even though I know all eyes will be on Jasmine and J.Marie. I just wish I looked better in a prom dress."
