Dar.Ra first started in London back in the 1990s, and has been steadily evolving his craft, inspired by experimentation. but is now ready to start making waves in the US. The artist has worked in multiple bands in the past, but now has decided it’s time to go solo, with his latest EP, ‘Dirty Lil Secrets’. We present the videos for two singles from the EP – ‘Heart Shape Pill’, and ‘Night-Stepper’.
Dar.Ra has had a long time collaborative relationship with producer Harvey Summers, who in his 20 year career has consistently sought out new and interesting sounds, that are both unusual and sonically daring. A multi-instrumentalist, Summers is passionate about originality in music, as well as quality in sound, and he delivers these in spades on Dar.Ra’s albums.
Dar.Ra released his debut album, ‘Soul Hours’, back in 2010, which he followed up in 2015 with ‘Live 4 Love’. ‘Battle Hymns’, with its nuanced bass riffs and hard drum lines, came out in 2016, and he added to his artistic releases by publishing a series of novels, including ‘Road Tales’, and ‘The Night That Jimmy Died’.
The videos for both ‘Night-Stepper’ and ‘Heart Shape Pill’, were directed by Brendan McGowan, and are centred around bringing light into the arkness. In the first, we see him wearing a coat of armour to conceal his pain; shunned from society he’s forced to be a night owl, which in turn reflects his life as a performer. There’s a contrast by light humour, he accepts his role as a self-proclaimed outsider.
‘Heart Shape Pill’ takes as its centre a man struggling to accept his sexual identity after years of torment. Vulnerable, his romance turns sour as he reflects on when he had everything, yet nothing at all. Heartbroken, he reaches for redemption, filling the void with pills where his heart once lay.
You can find out more about Dar.Ra from his Facebook account.
