Darlia

Originating in Blackpool, U.K., schoolmates Nathan Day on vocals and guitar and Jack Bentham on drums had already been making music together since childhood. An unplanned encounter with bassist Dave Williams during a stint cleaning at their college prompted the three to launch Darlia. While Bentham left for university, Day and Williams auditioned a string of drummers, only to bring Bentham back once a record contract appeared likely. The band’s debut outing, the 2013 Knock Knock EP, drew immediate acclaim and frequent comparisons to Nirvana. Early the following year B-Unique issued the Candyman EP, whose lead song was named Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1. Darlia spent 2014 touring the U.K. and playing major festivals including Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, and T in the Park, releasing the additional singles “Dear Diary” and “Stars Are Aligned” along the way. At the end of that year the trio tracked their first album in the studio, and Petals appeared in February 2015.