Diamond Rings

Diamond Rings serves as the glammed-up solo outlet for Toronto musician John O’Regan, who also sings and plays guitar in the indie rock band the D’Urbervilles. During a late-2008 hiatus from that group, O’Regan began writing, recording, and performing under the Diamond Rings name. Rather than drawing from the post-punk sound of his band, he looked to queer theory, androgynous trailblazers David Bowie and Grace Jones, and Stars on 54's cover of Gordon Lightfoot's “If You Could Read My Mind.” He further embraced glitter, makeup, and spandex, a sharp departure from his earlier years as a jock.

Diamond Rings first appeared in August 2009 via the limited-edition split single “All Yr Songs,” issued on O’Regan’s own Hype Lighter imprint; the accompanying video, directed by roommate Colin Medley, drew attention from Pitchfork, CBC Radio, and Exclaim!. A brief clash with Sony Records, which removed the clip from YouTube over an alleged copyright conflict with their artist Chipmunk’s song “Diamond Rings,” generated additional notice. Blog commentary soon informed Sony of the mistake, prompting a formal apology to O’Regan and Medley and restoring the video to the platform.

Diamond Rings followed with the March 2010 single “Wait & See,” issued by Tomlab and featuring like-minded Toronto fixture Gentleman Reg alongside a radically reworked version of Sebadoh’s “On Fire.” O’Regan’s visibility grew through performances alongside Owen Pallett, La Roux, Think About Life, and Woodhands, plus appearances at South by Southwest. Two further singles—“Show Me Your Stuff” in June and “Something Else” in September—led to the October release of Diamond Rings’ debut album, Special Affections, on Secret City. Astralwerks issued the record in the U.S. a year later, coinciding with the close of O’Regan’s tour supporting Robyn.