by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
It’s been a decade since Seattle’s Darto released their debut EP and over three years since their latest record, Fundamental Slime was released. There were a couple other full lengths and EPs released in the time between, and now the band return with a collection of all the loose end singles, compilation tracks, b-sides, and beyond. Tolting is a sixteen track retrospective of the band’s music from 2009 to 2019, due out February 4th via Slow Thrive Records. Each of the Darto records have captured a fairly different sound, and this collection is no different, with sonic exploration ranging from sludgy lo-fi to bedroom psych and twangy post-punk.
The lead single “Fundamental and Slyme,” which one might assume is a b-side from Fundamental Slime (but could just be the band having some fun with titles), is firmly in the psychedelic and experimental punk territory. With a lo-fi recording quality to the piercing drones, glorious piano, and shuffling drums, the band’s Candace Harter and Nicholas Merz trade back vocals with a hypnotic repetition. As their words begin to disconnect, the sound of the drums and keys begin to swirl into a dense wave, broken as the duo get stuck on the word “sentient”. From there the song tears from the formula, settling into the dust with an eerie calm and a warm blanket of synths. Moving in its own unique path, “Fundamental and Slyme” and Tolting as a whole are proof that the best material doesn’t always make the final records.