* En anglais uniquement
The L.A.-based psych-rock quartet
Darker My Love was formed by high school buddies
Tim Presley (guitars, vocals) and Andy Granelli (drums) in 2001. Initially, it was a side project --
Presley and Granelli were playing in other punk-influenced bands (both played in
the Nerve Agents together, Granelli also spent time with
the Distillers) when they joined forces with bassist/vocalist
Rob Barbato and guitarist
Jared Everett, both transplants from Boston. Within the space of a series of excellent live gigs, though, all four players committed to nurturing what was to become a signature bright-but-brooding sound, and
Darker My Love, as a tight unit with major potential, was born. After a string of opening dates for
the Kills,
the Warlocks, and
Icarus Line, the band recorded a three-song EP released in early 2006; early praise called attention to
Presley's melancholic vocals reminiscent of
Robert Smith. A self-titled debut disc full of fuzz and trippy distortion followed later the same year on Dangerbird Records. In 2008 the band released their second album, 2, taking their sound to darker and fuzzier places. While touring for 2, Andy Granelli left the band to focus on his family and was replaced by Brian Jonestown Massacre drummer Dan Allaire. Their third album, Alive as You Are, was released in 2010. ~ Tammy La Gorce