After years in the industry, The Darcys found their biggest success by stepping away from the “science” of radio hits and returning to the 90s rock and guitar-forward influences that first made them want to be a band. Their self-sufficient approach has allowed them to stay grounded and present, even as they expand the emotional world of their latest record with the GOODTIME Edition. It is a project built on the realization that no one will care about the music as much as they do, resulting in a healthier, more honest band dynamic that prioritizes genuine connection with their audience over the relentless cycle of “what’s next”.

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‘Rendering Feelings’ became your biggest record to date– Radio success, major syncs and relentless tour cycles. When you look back on that album now, what do you think clicked in a way that it hadn’t before?

I think we went back to those influences, those touch points that were really vital to us when we were growing up as a band and growing up as music listeners. Pulling from that 90s stuff, that rock stuff, and that guitar forward stuff is what made us want to be a band in the first place. Then narrowing it down and focusing that into our project is what  just made it click and was what connected with people, because it was authentic and organic. 

We were writing songs that we really loved and I think people forget that sometimes there’s so much science and engineering that goes into making a radio hit, but if the song doesn’t connect or people don’t connect with it, it never really “goes.” I think just stripping it back to like, “Why are we doing this? Why is it fun?” is what led to those songs connecting to people.

You’re fully independent and still pulled off number ones at Alt radio and high profile sync placements. Did navigating that level of success, without a label, kind of teach you about your band and your process?

Tell me about how much free time I don’t have anymore. I think that there is a system, especially when we started there, that you get funnelled into if you were having any sort of success. You were told at every turn: “You need this person to succeed here, and here, and here,” and none of them were necessarily good at their jobs, or more importantly, cared about your band or your project. They would just work at it as one of the many people on the rolodex. 

I get it, it’s their job, they’re doing what they do, but what I learned quickly was that when we start to strip all of those things away, no one is ever going to care about our music as much as we do and we have the skillset and the ingenuity to just run it on our own. I think that’s what it taught me. 

The ‘GOODTIME Edition’ expands the emotional world of ‘Rendering Feelings’. Why was now the right time to re-visit and re-frame this era, rather than just moving on to something entirely new?

We started writing for a new record, and just sort of realized that we were still in the ‘Rendering Feelings’ headspace cause we’d been touring it for 2 years, and we’d been working at it and focusing and talking about it. The things that we were making just felt like part of that universe and part of that world. Everytime we said, okay this is a new song, we’ll pivot from here and we’ll start accumulating music for a new record, and then in 2027 we’ll make a new record. And then we were like oh, “Over Thinking” kinda feels like “Talking”, and feels like the musically lower points on ‘Rendering Feelings.’ 

Then when we wrote ‘GOODTIME’ I was like oh this just has the DNA of all the singles off of this record into one song, like this perfect hybrid of everything we’re doing and it just felt like the perfect finisher to that universe. It allows us to release this cool thing we’re doing in the fall and then start fresh in a new headspace. 

You’ve had sync placements on “Greys Anatomy”, “My Life With The Walter Boys”, “The World Series” and now Sports Broadcast suggests that your music adapts easily to different emotional contexts. What do you think makes your music so flexible on screen?

When we first started out, our band was a lot moodier and we were really lucky in the sync world. Obviously it’s so different now. 

I think in the sports space, our music has a bit of energy and excitement but it isn’t so on the nose, like it isn’t using direct metaphors from sports but I think if you broaden the scope and listen to the lyrics you could easily apply it to these extreme and pivotal moments in sports. 

It was really exciting for us to be not only on Fox, which is a huge broadcast in America, but to be the soundtrack of a Blue Jay’s world series, which is like a huge moment for us. I don’t know why it works, but I’m really glad it did.  

Touring ‘Rendering Feelings’ so heavily shaped this chapter. How did the road influence the way that the ‘GOODTIME’ tracks came together?

We didn’t tour for a really long time because at the end of a cycle we took a year off and then COVID happened, so we were off the road for a really long time. 

We started making music but with no focus group, no feedback. It was just, “hey this is cool”, and then we’d go and play it and it was just unique because it had been so long. Having done that, and then starting to work on the first part of ‘Rendering Feelings’ and then touring it, it was like, this is what connects, this is what we want to be doing live, or this is what the setlist was missing. This gave us so much information and data to fill out this space and make the universe more complete, make the live show more complete.

It was just about feeling the reaction from people. You never really know what’s gonna connect even though you think you do. Certain songs like “Trouble Found Me” did really well for us. It wasn’t major or anything but live it is by far the biggest song. Everyone knows all the words and they request it and sing it and you never really know why that is. So, taking that feedback, and taking some of those touch points and energy, and the enthusiasm into new songs is really helpful and fun. So I think these new songs, especially “GOODTIME” are really going to go-off live. 

With festivals still to be announced, and radio momentum building up again, how are you balancing staying present with this release while already thinking about what’s coming next? 

I’m not. I always make this joke like, you’ll have a record coming out next week and interviewers will be like, “what’s next?” and the album isn’t even out yet. You have to stay there in that mindset because of the cycles we’ve created with Spotify and everything else where you always have to be putting stuff out.

I think that as we’ve matured and been in this band longer we try to take a minute and really enjoy the positives, big or small, the big moments, like the number 1’s or the syncs, but even the smaller ones. Even just like, we launched some merch yesterday and so many people bought it, and they were buying CDs like crazy and I’m like what if the 90s are back or what’s going on. 

Just being like, this is fun, this is good, people are happy and they enjoy it and are excited about it, and trying to stay present because otherwise you get into this really horrible cycle if you get a number one and then by the morning you go to your team meeting like ok nothings happening, we gotta get some momentum here. 

I think we have this really great fanbase and this group of people that are on our social media that are always so positive and excited and they help us stay grounded in the moment instead of just sort of watching them pass by and just moving on to the next thing. 

What makes you happy? Is it the next number one or is it enjoying what you’re doing now, and connecting with people, and playing shows and stuff like that. So I think we’re just trying to stay focused the best we can. It’s a big part of why the band feels more healthy and honest and genuine these days.

If someone were to discover your band for the first time through ‘GOODTIME’ what do you hope that they are compelled to explore next in the catalogue? 

I guess ‘GOODTIME’ already naturally feeds into ‘Rendering Feelings’ as a record. I think our entire scope of our band has been so eclectic and different with different combinations of people and all of this stuff.

We have a record called ‘Centerfold’ that is turning 10 this year, and I really hope that people who are new to our project they came in through ‘Rendering Feelings’ or ‘GOODTIME’ go back and check out that record. It’s so disco-y and fun and bright and energetic. 

If ‘Rendering Feelings: GOODTIME Edition’ were the soundtrack to a moment in someone’s life, what kind of moment would you hope it scores?   

I think it’s so energetic and so fun. If you’re ever in a car chase or a shoot out with the cops I think would be a really good one. Maybe you don’t want to find yourself in that predicament but that deliberate, focused and mindful energy where you’re doing something intense. I think it’s a good soundtrack for that. It’s a good party song. If you’re going out it’s perfect for that.

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