Spun: Darling of Chelsea

By Jonathan Lawrence

This may be Darlings of Chelsea’s second full-length album, but two albums in two years can only lead me to believe that this band’s songwriting is rushed and not up to potential.




Formed in 2009, the Toronto-based quartet hasn’t wasted much time goofing around, being named Best New Band of 2009 by Mass Movement magazine, on top of receiving regular radio play on cbc and various college radio stations. Their sound is a fusion of old-school punk, grunge and modern rock that brings to mind fellow Canadian rockers Gob, as well as Nirvana and the Sex Pistols.




Though more tolerable than the average band heard on current radio stations, Darlings of Chelsea don’t stand out among the sea of existing and up-and-coming rock bands- their songs are catchy, but not memorable. Each song sounds too similar to the others to be bothered with a subsequent listening; they seem like they could have been born out of the same jam session. Th is is not necessarily a bad thing, as it defi nes their personal sound, but the al-


bum feels played out aft er only a few tracks. As a band still in its infant years, Darlings of Chelsea are just learning to walk. Given the attention they have already received, they could even be running within a few years. Let’s hope so.