Darla | photo by Magdalena Papaioanno | courtesy of the artist
PREMIERE: Darla flex their big-band skills on “These Few Years”
Darla have a lot going on: a new record called Darla Rolls the Dice! will be out in a couple of weeks, a new website was unveiled yesterday, and, after sharing an album trailer last week, the Philly instrumental party rockers are back with a new song called “These Few Years,” which we’re happy to premiere for you today today.
Darla Rolls the Dice is the West Philly prog-funk outfit’s sixth release since their 2014 Movies! Movies! Movies! debut, but their first working with the famed Phil Nicolo of The Butcher Brothers and Studio 4 in Conshohocken. That’s right – the same guy who’s worked with Bob Dylan, Santana, Lauryn Hill, and John Lennon produced this EP, and will be releasing it via his new label Phil’s Records.
On “These Few Years,” our first taste of Dice, the octet’s already-polished multi-dimensional compositions are honed in even more. It’s sharp and roomy, with an arrangement that expands and compresses across the four minutes like a deep, satisfying breath. We hear guitars that can scream and cymbals that can sparkle, while the horn section and keys add a flair of classic warmth over a bass that moves from melodic to rumbling. I’ll be surprised if you’re not grinning like guitarist Brendan Monahan by the end.
Watch the video for “These Few Years” below and pick up tickets for the record release show at Boot & Saddle on November 16th here. You can pre-order Darla Rolls The Dice here, via iTunes.