Side projects can be a mixed bag, but Darling Black, the bonus activity/creativity of Lulu Lewis vocalist-songwriter Dylan Hundley, is unburdened with any disappointing, underwhelming factors. Instead, the truly solo endeavor’s eponymous debut full-length, releasing tomorrow as a Bandcamp exclusive and premiering here, is consistently engaging with the occasional surprise. Anybody with a penchant for post-punk dancefloor bangers should prick up those ears, toot sweet.
Darling Black isn’t a breakaway project but instead serves as a stylistic extension and more often is a complementary overlapper in the oeuvre of Dylan Hundley. “Shock” opens the record with a fun slice of resourced audio, and then, quickly following, Hundley’s breathy intoning enters the scheme atop a minimal groove.
With “8th and Alvarado,” things get edgy and body moving in the tradition of dance club No Wave. The mention of champagne and cocaine can’t help but bring Vega and Rev to mind (not a bad thing), but with the infusion of police sirens, the track radiates a more contemporary vibe.
“Everyday” floats out Kraftwerk-y Motorik motions, but with a sweet, tense atmosphere a la darkwave. Rhythmic repetition is also an integral component in “Dial,” and there’s more of that aforementioned and quite appealing post-punk edge. Instead of NYC No Wave, the track is decidedly Anglo.
“Maybe Maybe Now” dishes some early rap influence, but it’s more appropriate to finely tune the inspiration as early ’80s electro. As its beats bang forth, one can envision Afrika Bambaataa way up in the balcony with his arms crossed, nodding his head in approval. Next, a sharp cover of Yoko Ono’s “Walking on Thin Ice” definitely sounds like it could’ve been released by Mute records in the late ’70s.
From there, “I Don’t Know” is a brief burst of retro-techno, ushering in Darling Black’s robust homestretch. “Deep Down in the Ground” follows, funky but with an undercurrent of menace, and then another inspired cover, “Rosegarden Funeral of Sores,” closes the album. It’s a John Cale B-side, and Darling Black’s version manages to encompass both the vision of Cale’s original and the spirit of the noted prior version by Goth kingpins Bauhaus.
Like Bauhaus, Dylan Hundley is highly skilled at interpreting the songs of others. In the process, she has put her individual stamp on a wide range of source material. Extending from this ability is an even stronger understanding of how to harness the proper feel and flow of her inspirations. So it has been with Lulu Lewis, and now so it is with Darling Black.
