Big Ben, Wembley, Fish & Chips and The Beatles. Although the United Kingdom seems to be far from here, Darjeeling brings a tiny taste of Albion to Hungary.
Members of Darjeeling /// Photo by Tamás Kóczián
Have you ever heard of Darjeeling? And I’m not talking about the city in India or the famous tea of England. I’m talking about the band which was formed in 2016 in Hungary. You haven’t, right? Well, it’s time to fix that mistake.
When you hear the expression ‘alternative rock‘, so many bands come into your mind. From Biffy Clyro – we had an interview with Ben Johnson not long ago – to Foo Fighters, from the Foals to Oasis or Britpop, the UK’s answer to alternative rock. And these guys from the Hungarian capital, Budapest, are more British than you’ll ever be.
The group modestly reveals only three things in their bio: original songs, English lyrics and electric guitars, but believe me, there’s a lot more to them. The bassline technically blows your mind and the voice of András Marosi Z. fits into the harmony as a sixth instrument. And talking about it, the band must feel genuinely lucky that András didn’t start an Oasis Tribute Band with the voice he has.
Their first song, ‘This (Is A War)‘ is a correct introduction for their world: it takes shape nicely, has the vibes it needs, and the chorus is a real blast. All the words and tunes are easy to remember, giving you the opportunity to shout it loudly during a show. Simple but effective, well-written stuff, true rock anthem material.
On the other hand, ‘Legacy‘, their other single (released on the same day), tries to be different. The band follows the golden rule of „show the most of what you got”, and this track really shows what the group can do. You can tell from the first seconds, that this is going to be something else, a rock-ballad of some sorts and surprisingly enough, it fits them well!
Well-built song structures, meaningful (deep?) lyrics, and professionally mastered music – levelling to effects. The drum tracks sound a bit hollow, it might be on purpose, but for my ears, it was just a bit too much. All in all, Darjeeling has a future, if they keep on working hard and modestly, and if they consult with their stylist. They need some outfit upgrade and I’m not even kidding! But, hopefully, Hungary can have their very own Gallagher-band in a few years.
If you wanna listen’em live, you can do it on 6th of October at Under Budapest. They will perform with CH.I.P and Turn Signals. Sign me up for the front row.
EDITED by Károly Gergely
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