The Darts Vamp Up the Garage Rock With New Album “Snake Oil”

Slinky bass and garage reverb-laden guitars mix with echoed vocals and ‘50s come contemporary surf synths to produce the hardest rocking surf-goth band…ever?

Yes, there is a genre called “surf-goth.” Just check out this surf-goth Bandcamp page. But although they share some similar sounds and imagery, The Darts (U.S.) are much more than just surf-goth. They are garage rock par excellence. The surf synth sounds that play defining roles in most of their songs conjure images of vampire surfers and midnight black wipeouts, but their dirty guitar riffs ground them firmly in the cold cement floor genre. Lead singer and synth vamp Nicole Laurnne, Christina Nunez (bass and vocals), Meliza Jackson (guitars and vocals), and new drummer Mary Rose Gonzalez originally formed the band in order to “make garage punk rock and roll noise, see the world, and basically have a super fun slumber party every night” and ended up opening for Rancid, Jello Biafra (who also signed them to his Alternative Tentacle Records label), L7, The Damned, and The Dead Kennedys. Oh, and they’ve made a few albums, of which their newest, Snake Oil, just might be their best.

Expanding upon the signature sound they developed on their first Alternative Tentacles release, 2019’s I Like You But Not Like That, The Darts offer mostly more of the same, but it’s a sound that works very well for them. This time out though, the topics are a little more serious with songs like “Snake Oil,” “Under the Gun,” “Bring It Back,” and “Intersex” touching on topics many people are grappling with in society today. The band doesn’t get too serious, fortunately, as songs like “Love Tsunami” (with its obvious connotations) bring the vampy vibes. Much like their previous album’s title track, “Love Tsunami” has fun while it rocks. Here songs like “Love Song ” turn up the heat in the sensual sense (Laurnne’s breathy vocals on “Love Song” are built for after midnight). Add the grinding guitar riffs and the song’s atmosphere is complete. “Love Song” is a more powerful version of “Love You To Death” off of I Like You But Not Like That, except there’s less menace on the new track and more heat. 

The very next track “You Only Love Yourself” takes the band to new heights while sending them simultaneously in an opposite direction thematically. It’s a borderline arena rock anthem about a selfish lover. Loud, sultry yet simmering, and genre-bending, “You Only Love Yourself” is one of the band’s best songs recorded to date. “Bring It Back” rounds out the album with a slow groove that explores a little more of the territory Laurnne explores lyrically in “You Only Love Yourself.” With its groove and sharp vocals and lyrics, “Bring It Back” demonstrates a band stating a claim to relevance beyond the “super fun slumber party every night” vibe. It’s also a great song that makes your hair stand on end and thrills you at the same time. It’s what The Darts seem built to do, and do very well.