Darko is a band I have listened to before on the site “Bandcamp.” I liked their earlier self titled release but found it a bit rough and unpolished. The newest release from Darko could not be much different, right? The “Never Coming Home/Chewbacca” 7 inch was released less than a year later. This is not the same Darko! The band has tightened up and blown this reviewer away with the maturity between the 2 releases. How Darko remains unsigned is as big a mystery as Atlantis or who farted in a crowded elevator. The 7 inch takes leaps ahead for the South East English band from Guildford. Probably the only reason Darko remains unsigned is because no one knows where Guildford is located. Any label that may read this should get out the atlas and quickly look the place up though, because Darko is well worth the effort.
The first song on the 7 inch is “Never Coming Home.” This song grabs you by the throat and pulls you in with hooks and riffs that cause you to become desperate for the next verse. I am not one for pigeon holeing bands, and Darko defies labels with this song. They are neither pop punk or hardcore punk. They are punk in its simplest form and most convenient terms. “Never Coming Home” is as much at home in the smoke filled beer drenched pubs as it is the concert halls. This is a song that will get the pits moving. The song delivers the energy of an atomic bomb.
“Chewbacca Defense,” I can only guess, is named after the South Park episode. The song however is far from sophomoric. The song starts of with a guitar that is warming up to wail. The song builds into quick and furious rift that shows the chops on this band. Not too overpowering, the guitar takes center stage as the singer belts out a tune that will stick to your brain. The drums and bass, along with the guitar, build this song into one that will garner Darko a lot of attention. In my opinion this is the best track Darko has released.
Granted, this release is only 2 songs long so to call it the “best album of the year” would be a stretch, but it does show that their next full-length release has that potential. If you’re curious, check out both tracks here.
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