LA/London duo Sterling Mire and James Goddard (aka DARLINGS OF THE DAY) certainly met in the sort of enigmatic circumstances that fuel rock'n'roll legends, coming across each other at the dead of night in that notorious Gram Parsons/ U2-related landscape Joshua Tree in the Californian desert.
That first meeting sparked off an intense three-hour conversation and a slew of fervent Transatlantic calls, resulting in the duo setting up sessions at a studio beneath the infamous Viper Room on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard to record their debut four-track EP "Get Burned."
And these finished tracks make it clear that Sterling and James have indeed forged a kinetic connection, as all four of these songs exude a smart, tight and slightly trashy pop aesthetic with an immediacy that will surely suit them well when it comes to that all-important radio play.
"Hallucination Generation" is a good, brash opening tune. Despite the duo's LA/ London gene pool, to these ears it's those enduring NYC No-Wave staples (the blippy, Cars-style synth, the ice blonde Debbie Harry-ish vocals) that hit home first, though this blends well with the British new wave guitars (think first two Psychedelic Furs albums as a starting point) and at barely two and a half minutes with its' place-to-be-seen lyrics it's just about right.
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Second track "Out Of Mind" again sounds like superior bubblegum pop with similar reference points, but the guitars' metallic edge is a nice development, as are the icy John Foxx-style synths. "Get Burned" itself follows smartly and initially throws a brief dummy courtesy of its' hissy vinyl crackle and low-key loops. This time round the guitars are set on stun, there's more of a Chrissie Hynde edge to the vocals and the whole thing is cruising'n'bruising pop with immediacy to spare.
Just to ram the point home, they finish up with the supa-chugging guitars are very 1979-style "Endless View" and get the hell out in another fine minute 30 blast. Indeed, what is abundantly clear is that DOTD are a band who enjoy the disposability of a great classy'n'trashy pop song but drag a surprisingly effective durability with them too. That ought to be a help in the long-term, but whatever "Get Burned" is a very likeable instant thrill and sometimes such addictive fare is what we should be brazenly pursuing in this game.
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