Darling Gails – Smile (2024)
Drawn together by a mutual love of “schlocky horror films and sugary fast pop music”, singer-songwriters Bella Luxury and Jason Darling blend different flavours of pop in their unique, eclectic new sound. A new brand of obscure quirkiness, you might find the radio-friendliness of commercial pop meeting the chaos of electropop and the aggressive hyper-pop – all in a single Darling Gails melody. Embracing the concept of remote collaboration, Darling Gails is a project spanning two countries – Luxury from the USA and Darling from Puerto Rica. The latest addition to their discography is the single, ‘Smile’.
Recorded and produced online by Luxury and Darling, ‘Smile’ follows their well-received single ‘Fangs’. A cover of Nicole Westbrook’s 2012 ‘Smile’ – one of the lesser-known songs by Westbrook – Darling Gails take the original pop tune, twist it about, and what you have left is a new song entirely.
To be honest, when I first came across Darling Gails’ ‘Smile’ I thought it was a cover of Nat King Cole’s 1954 song; this was before I hit the play button. Immediately tossing you into a sonic hurricane with kaleidoscopic lights fluttering all about, Darling Gails enhance the electronic side of ‘Smile’; however, the bounciness of the original seems to fade away. Instead of the bubblegum-esque poppiness of Westwood, the new option is darker, grittier and a little eerie in its rush of electronica.
Melodically, ‘Smile’ ensnares your senses with its pulsating beats acting like a heartbeat in the sonic madness. Then, once you’re entirely lost in the twirls of sound, enhanced by Luxury’s velvety vocals, a quick flip makes things quite haunting and slightly creepy. Darling’s evocative rap vocals crashes from each side grabbing at your gut and bounces about your brain with a swift creepiness perfect for a horror film. You feel lost, but then the return to Luxury’s dulcet voice wrapped in velvety pop music soothes the confusion.
The first single from Darling Gails’ upcoming project, ‘Smile’ marks an evolution in their sound. For me, this version is more intriguing and evocative than the original, so I’m eager to hear what else Darling Gails has in store. Highly recommended!
Last note: I’d love to know what they could do with Nat King Cole’s ‘Smile’. I’m sure it’d be fascinating.
Find out more about Darling Gails on their official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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