The Goodnight Darlings are comprised of two renowned faces in the music industry: singer Katarina Auster and guitarist Wilson Jaramillo. They were clearly meant to be: After marrying, the two joined forces and formed the aforementioned duo known as The Goodnight Darlings. Fast forward a few years later, and the two are ready to release their debut EP—but is the combined creativity of husband and wife enough to make a good album?
“Pacifier” certainly serves its purpose—even though it’s about pacifying and calming a “big, big baby,” the song has a soothing quality toward the listener as well. The electric guitar is as ever-present in this track as it is in the entire first half of the EP, and does tremendously well to set a tempo and lead the song forward. “Doll Drums,” which shares the same name as the EP, stands out easily among the rest, not least because of the flavor it adds due to the introduction of drums to accompany the guitar.
My personal favorite of the bunch is “Propaganda,” mainly due to its delightful “disco-ey” edge. Here, Katarina Auster does a good job at alternating between stout, forceful vocals, and markedly softer notes whenever the track slows down. This contrast certainly reflects the overall feeling of the song, which contains both fast-paced and leisurely sections.
“Danceable” is certainly a good word to describe Doll Drums, because that’s exactly what it makes you want to do. The guitarist, Jaramillo, does a wonderful job complementing Auster’s vocals, and at times even outshines her. For a debut EP, The Goodnight Darlings have certainly proven what they’re capable of, and have set the bar very high for what I’m sure will be many, many future releases.
In A Word: Peppy
