The Darcys: More Than A Feeling

From near-death experiences to musical rebirths, the long-standing indie duo find clarity on their latest album, Rendering Feelings.

by Stephan Boissonneault

Photos by Joél Verges

Published on November 26, 2024

In the 17 years since their inception, the Darcys have had their fair share of close calls and near death experiences. There was that time in Guelph, Ontario when they had to wrestle a knife-wielding teenager who was trying to steal their van and all their precious gear. Then there was the time they had to keep their van running during a full set in Saskatchewan so it wouldn’t completely die. And let’s not forget about the time they were almost T-boned by an oncoming semi truck while driving in an unruly snowstorm in Indianapolis.

Yes, The Darcys, now based in Los Angeles, have been through a lot. And it’s always been guitarist/vocalist Jason Couse and drummer Wes Marskell overseeing all aspects of the band. With their own label, The Darcys Inc. Records, it’s always been them against the world.

“Something is always happening with us,” Marskell tells RANGE. “I feel like Jason and I are quite industrious, so we’re often getting into trouble.”

“Yeah, we always joke ‘Well, at least it’s not boring,’” Couse adds. “The list of mishaps and close calls is kind of infinite and we’re really only starting to lean into telling those stories over social media now.”

It hasn’t all been grim tour stories, though. The indie dance rock duo is about to play a gig in Pioneer Town, California, an 1880s themed town used for Western films and TV series. “We’re going to be playing in this barbeque restaurant and people from all over come there to see rock concerts,” Couse says. “It’s super weird because it’s a literal fantasy land, but life is exhilarating in that sense.”

Currently playing in support of their latest album, Rendering Feelings, easily The Darcys’ most genuine, honest and personal record yet. A song like “1986,” with its unbelievably catchy hooky chorus, a reference to the birth years of both Couse and Marskell, is about falling for the same patterns and cycles you did in your youth. This introspective theme became the crux of the new album.

Right as they arrived in Los Angeles, The Darcys dropped the single “Running For The Hills,” a song about escaping your past and never looking back. The single did swimmingly on the radio and had a ton of support, but the duo quickly realized that just because you move locations, you can’t completely escape your previous life, with all of its misgivings, misfortunes, and mistakes.

“You can change the landscape and your surroundings, but some things stay the same, and that’s you shit; what’s going inside me when I’m recreating experiences time and time again,” Couse says.

Before they made the jump to La La Land, The Darcys would often craft vague realities within their records, like on 2016’s Centerfold and 2020’s Fear & Loneliness. The songs were ones of decadence and depravity, all under a thick layer of cloudy mystique. The albums were also full of instrumental twists and turns, like samples of old vibraphones, lustrous string sections, and old drum machine sections. Now, Rendering Feelings is more direct and written more with the live show in mind.

“We kind of went off the deep end with the production tricks,” Marskell admits. “I think with this record, we wanted to make it a bit more with the instruments that we have in front of us and there’s just a bit more urgency and energy to it that kind of connects with us right now.”

Despite this, the Darcys haven’t forgotten how to write songs of reckless abandon, like the buzzing indie dance banger “I’m Starting to Think I’m Bad At Parties,” a song about forgetting your problems – one as simple as making the rent on time – and enjoying the moment.

“I think people don’t write enough songs about being broke,” Marskell laughs.

“Yeah, we’ve been struggling artists since day one,“ Couse adds. “Even though we’re doing good now, the grind never stops.”