 | Photo credit: Tim Kramer |
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| Today, Surrey progressive punks DARKO have unveiled their brand new EP Canvas, out now via Lockjaw Records. The EP serves as the final piece of the conceptual puzzle that ties all of the band’s recent releases together, relating to their Greyscale and Sparkle EP’s both lyrically and thematically. To celebrate the release, the band have shared a new music video for the blistering focus track ‘Hectic‘. Stream the new EP here. Speaking on the new EP, the band comment:
“Canvas’ initial vision was a nod to classic, anthemic DARKO, with plenty of maturation time for the faster songs (the music to ‘Goodbye Bastards’ was originally pegged for 2014’s Sea of Trees!). Newcomers ‘Grey Havens’, ‘Canvas’ and ‘Hectic’ were vital in taking the record beyond traditional skate punk to better reflect the diverse pool of influences we draw from today.” The new single is one the band’s most crushing to date. Born from the chaos of the school run, ‘Hectic’ channels a raw disdain for humanity’s lack of empathy. What hope does humanity have when people in their cars turn such a basic scenario into the Wild West? Watch the new video here or by clicking the thumbnail below. On the new single, bassist and lyricist Karl Sursham band shares:
“From a simple act of taking your kids to school we are moulding the future. Being a dad has exposed me to selfish and negative behaviours from parents. Kids seeing these acts will learn them and think its acceptable. Stop being assholes in front of your kids!” |
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 | DARKO – ‘Hectic’ |
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| DARKO‘s Chapters trilogy – Sparkle, Greyscale, and Canvas – blasts open a bold new era of progressive punk, loaded with fire, fury, and zero tolerance for fence-sitting. Ditching the tired call to “leave politics at the door,” Chapters rips through the rot of misogyny in punk, homophobia, and late capitalism’s billionaire death cult with snarling conviction. It’s DARKO‘s most explosive and anthemic work yet – an electrifying fusion of post-rock atmospherics, death metal ferocity, and their signature brand of groove-heavy, high-speed melodic hardcore that hits like a Molotov cocktail of purpose and righteous rage. Following today’s release, the band will hit the road on 19th July to perform in various cities and appear at several festivals across Europe. Full list of upcoming dates below: 19/07 – Hormersdorf, DE @ KNRD
20/07 – Prague, CZ @ Cross Club
22/07 – Graz, AT @ Music House w/ MakeWar & The Anti-Queens
24/07 – Milan, IT @ CIQ
25/07 – Monteforte D’Alpone, IT @ Braustuberl Munchen
26/07 – Ferrara, IT @ DLB Festival
27/07 – Morrovale, IT @ Drunk in Public
04-08/08 – Punk Rock Holiday, Slovenia |
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 | DARKO – Canvas EP
EP Artwork TRACKLISTING
1. Grey Havens
2. Dared To Dream
3. Canvas
4. Override!
5. Hectic
6. Goodbye Bastards
7. Aux III |
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ABOUT DARKO:
South England’s DARKO blends the technical brilliance of Protest the Hero, the rallying pull of AFI, and the fire of Rage Against the Machine to deliver a sound that’s as sharp as it is sincere. The relentless quintet have taken their explosive performances to 40+ countries (including Japan, Australia, and Canada) – from sweaty bars to the main stages of Punk Rock Holiday and Manchester Punk Festival, sharing stages along the way with powerhouses like Strung Out, Ignite, Frank Turner, Propagandhi, and H2O. After frontman Dan Smith remained in Australia post-pandemic, the band turned to Tom West (of Lockjaw labelmates Almeida) to take the mic. West brought a harder-edged, metal-influenced direction – and a lyrical fearlessness that shook things up. Debut track ‘The Ladder,’ an uncompromising critique of misogyny within the punk scene, divided long-time fans and sparked urgent conversations while drawing in a new wave of listeners. Now, DARKO are closing a bold chapter with Canvas – the final piece in a trilogy of conceptually-linked EPs. It’s their most dynamic and anthemic work to date, fusing post-rock textures, death metal growls, and groove-laden riffage into their signature brand of lightning-fast melodic hardcore. This is progressive punk with purpose. This is DARKO. BAND MEMBERS
Tom West – vocals
Rob Piper – guitar, vocals
Chris Brown – guitar, vocals
Karl Sursham – bass, vocals
Andy Borg – drums FOLLOW DARKO
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