Biography
Emerging under a moniker suggestive of late-seventies new wave acts, yet drawing sonic direction from mid-2000s indie acts spanning Death Cab for Cutie and the Shins on one flank to Q and Not U and the Rapture on the other, the energetic neo-post-punk trio Dartz! originated in the North Yorkshire city of Middlesbrough, England. Late in 2004 guitarist Philip Maughan and drummer Henry Carden spontaneously traded instruments to launch a fresh project, placing Maughan behind the kit and on vocals while Carden handled guitar duties. Bassist William Anderson soon joined, and the three initially operated as Darts! before switching to the sharper Dartz! halfway through promotion of their self-released demo EP in spring 2005. Further offerings arrived in the form of the EP Who Built the Buildings? and split singles shared with the Maybes? and Stapleton, while the group maintained a steadily expanding tour itinerary throughout Great Britain. Dartz! later aligned with the indie label Xtra Mile, unveiling its first proper single, “St. Petersburg,” in October 2006. Early 2007 brought the follow-up single “Once! Twice! Again!,” a newly recorded version of the opening track from Who Built the Buildings?. That February the band issued its debut album, This Is My Ship.
Albums
