Four years have gone by since Nikki, Jessi, and Kelley Darlin spat in their palms and slapped hands in a three-way promise that would become Those Darlins. Since then, they’ve broken hearts and broken bones, all the while honing their chops and gaining a lifetime of experiences through endless touring: bros to the bitter end. Screws Get Loose is their second album–and the first to show off drummer Linwood Regensburg stepping up as a songwriter. Each song bears the scars of the highs and lows they’ve soldiered through together on the road, accentuating the realities of growing up in a rock and roll band.
Those Darlins debut album was released in 2009 to wide-spread critical acclaim. ELLE Magazine declared,”Their revved up twang, played with a punk recklessness…is a cause for celebration.” The New York Times said of the band “The band’s songs, which can be deliciously unserious, are as memorable as they are charming.” USA Today tagged their last SXSW show with “Best band I’ve seen yet.” “Brisk, breathless, three-minute drum, bass, and baritone ukulele romp of no-bullshit “my way or the highway” declarations” said Pitchfork.
The band re-enlisted producer Jeff Curtin (Small Black) and headed down to Atlanta, GA to record Screws Get Loose with engineer Ed Rawls at his Living Room Studio (Black Lips, Jacuzzi Boys). While the band’s country punk nature is still evident, the Southern roots that shine through are more in line with the dirty South garage rock blasting out of Memphis, Atlanta and Nashville in recent years. Haunting and hook-laden rock numbers tussle with the confessional weight of other songs. Stylistically, the band has created a range of sounds as far ranging as Spector-like summery girl pop to a fully realized stoner jam.
These songs show that life on the road is no place for the faint of heart. So, naturally, songs take shape with bold narratives, strong voices, and full-bodied performances that are no less vibrant than previous offerings, but are a little less naïve. Maturity and experience combine to open up wholly new dimensions for Those Darlins as Screws Get Loose takes an overall serious tone. But that doesn’t mean they have forsaken the spirit of fun and frivolity that has come to define them.
The band will be previewing the songs off Screws Get Loose at the top of the year with multiple tour dates.
Those Darlins are: Jessi Darlin (Guitar/Bass), Kelley Darlin (Bass/Guitar), Nikki Darlin (Guitar/Bass), Linwood Regensburg (Drums/Guitar).
Screws Get Loose tracklisting:
1. Screws Get Loose
2. Be Your Bro
3. Let U Down
4. Hives
5. Mystic Mind
6. Tina Said
7. $
8. Boy
9. Fatty Needs A Fix
10. Waste Away
11. BUMD
