4/5 stars
The thunderous sound of local five-piece Darts harks back to ’90s post-punk and slacker rock. On the band’s latest album, Below Empty & Westward Bound, the hoarse yelp of singer and guitarist Angus Ayres vividly conjures up memories of early Modest Mouse, particularly on ‘Push Me Thru’ and ‘Westward Bound’.
Comparisons aside, Darts’ bristling energy and ability to keep the good tunes flowing makes them a pretty awesome force in their own right. There’s hardly a moment to gasp for air during the neck-break trio of songs that starts off the album, before a well-judged drop in tempo arrives, along with the contrasting vocals of Ally Campbell-Smith, on the woozy, nostalgia-clouded ‘Aeroplane’.
The strange conjoining of two mid-album songs (‘Below Empty’and ‘Westward Bound’) to form the album title makes a lot of sense when you listen to the record in full. The name matches the songs’ disorientating rush, which sees the band shaking off feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt by submitting to the cathartic force of choppy, charging guitars.
Darts invite you to join them in this act and let the music take you into the darkness of the unknown. There isn’t a specific destination to get to, but it’s one hell of a ride.
Below Empty & Westward Boundby Darts is out on Rice Is Nice.
