The Darcys

Live, Toronto/Halifax’s the Darcys can pull off an eye watering Final Fantasy cover, so I was interested to see how their sweaty, excruciatingly inspiring live sets translated to record and in the process, I found a stunning collection of songs. Recorded at the Waterloo Regional Children’s Museum and mastered by Brian Moncarz (the Junction), this is not your regular debut album; it’s very special. The band play orchestral pop with romantic Radiohead-esque tones and danceable, entirely fresh sounding blends. With help from the good ol’ Macbook, the songs reach above and beyond any boundaries while subtly incorporating classic rock guitar work ("I am a Ship”) and tying everything together in a familiar sounding fashion. Some French lyrics crawl out from beneath the sprawling melodies in the title track and some post-rock Explosions in the Sky influences enhance the emotional "When We Were a Wilderness.” The Darcys are a band best experienced live, but these intimate recordings do them justice.