Formerly of obscure alt-indie band Creaky Boards (whose main claim to fame was having a brief run-in with Coldplay over the latter's alleged plagiarism in their hit song Viva la Vida), Darwin Deez (real name Darwin Smith) has been building up a cult following for his breezy and melodic indie pop songs, his trademark corkscrew curls and headband, kooky live show and surprisingly virtuoistic guitar playing, performed on just a four string guitar.

 
Following his stint with Creaky Boards, he was signed as a solo artist by the UK label, Lucky Number Music, who released his debut single Constellations in 2009, followed by another single, Radar Detector, his DIY, self-titled debut album in 2010, and a NME front cover. Songs or Imaginative People was released to further acclaim in 2013, and this year he released his third, and best album yet, Double Down. It's full of hook-laden indie-pop gems, that often feature sparkling guitar work, and lyrics that oscillate between uplifting optimism and sharp asides. The first single, the quite brilliant Kill Your Attitude featured all that is best about Darwin Deez; it's sing-a-long indie pop sound features one of his highly melodic guitar solos, while the Call of Duty style video belies the summery vibe.
 
The 'band' Darwin Deez is essentially the Brookylyn based Darwin Smith and an ever-changing cast who take his music on the road. It's on stage that the riotous and colourful tones and melodies really make sense, as he and the band like to break out into synchronized dance routines to the sounds of Beyonce and others, for no discernible reason other than to have a bit of fun, and to break up the traditional concert format.
 
Following in the tradition of such prolific and prodigious multi-intrumentalists Todd Rundgren and Prince, Darwin Deez does almost everything himself in the studio. "Yeah, pretty much recorded, produced, wrote, sung, performed, mixed, even mastered a couple of tracks," says Darwin in his thoughtfully quiet voice. "I let someone else mix and master the second album, but it's pretty much my style to do it myself. I get attached to how it sounds and I don't want it changed." Are you familiar with the work of Todd Rundgren? "His band was The Replacements, right?" Obviously, he is not familiar… "I think there are some Pete Townsend records that my parents had, and on some of his solo records he did everything. My parents had those records not because they are massive Who fans, but because Pete Townsend is a follower of the same guru as they are (Meher Baba) and so am I." More of that later….
 
"It's a few orders of more subtlety than mixing," says Darwin, of the mastering process. "With mixing, you have the ability to turn the guitar up and vocals down. With mastering, you're dealing with everything at once, it's balancing the frequencies more broadly; like bass frequencies. It's more to do with compression and limiting, and the overall volume. Mastering can make records sound amazing. It's cheaper over in the UK, because maybe people think of it less over there… The top-of-the=line people in the US, it can cost $10,000 to master a record. I think they have these very attuned ears that can get the record balanced in a way it can be."
 

 
Can you tell me about the Double Down reference in the title? "Double Down is not a reference in the song lyrics. It's more like an attitude, like a courage sort of vibe; the second time, going again… that kinda thing. And it's also a reference to the debut record. This one has a lot in common with the approach I took on the first one. People seemed to like it, so I thought I would do it again. Experimenting is important for an artist and it is something I did on my last record, so I'm differentiating it with that in my mind. It's the spirit of 'let's go', caution to the wind stuff, and have fun."
 
When did you first start writing songs? "I've been writing songs since I was 11. My best friend and I used to write songs together, and both play guitar, and we had our own band called Black Moon,"laughs Darwin. "We had four or five songs together, but I had a lot more on my own… I think ever since I've worked alone. There are so many subtleties I like to explore and have control over, and experiment with when I'm writing. When I'm allowing space for someone else's ideas… it's a very delicate balance. You don't get to explore your own ideas, and see if they work or not if you're constantly making space for someone else's ego.
 
"I started learning guitar right away when I first got one. My dad taught me my first chords, and got me some lessons. But, I couldn't get better, and got real frustrated around 12, and I quit for a while. At the same time I was being blown away by The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy, and some hip hop, like Dr Octagon. I enjoyed electronic music for most of my teens, and made drum'n'bass tracks on my sampler. Then I got back into the guitar when I was about 18; Animal Collective, Q and Not U, The Strokes coming out was pretty exciting. By then I had learned to produce things on my computer. I was also into playing around with the four track cassette stuff when I was 11 and 12, messing with that. Although it sounds terrible now.
 

 
"It was probably Green Day that first got me into music, when Dookie came out. I was in fifth grade, about 11. And that is just a great record, they really deliver on almost every track. It was definitely a huge influence."
 
Of course, if you make 'band' music you need a band to take with you on tour, and for their current UK tour, which included a date Brighton's Concorde 2, it was his usual mix of friends, old and new. "Greg Richardson is on lead guitar (another former member of Creaky Boards), who has previously played every other instrument in the band; he was our drummer, and then our bass player. But he is able and willing to do whatever for the band. A solid compatriot. Tim's on drums, Shauna Tohill on bass (who has her own project, Silhouette, on the go), who is from Ireland, and who lives in London. She is filling in on bass for the UK leg. She's great fun. I always like to have a woman on stage when we can. The original line up had Michelle Dorrance on bass." She was known as Mash Deez, and it was the Deez that formed the second part of the Darwin Deez band name. A highly regarded dancer and dance choreographer, she was also once a member of the New York branch of STOMP, whose HQ is in Brighton…). "She's now furthering her tap dance career…" says Darwin. "I'm happy to get to do it with friends. If it wasn't with friends, it might be a little less fun. I have difficulty in romantic life," he says by way of a tangent, something that can be easily discerned via his lyrics and videos. "I've not had a relationship that has lasted more than two years. I'm 31 now. So, it's good to have that fellowship, to be around people. New York is a very isolating city, and I'm a bit of an introvert. So, I definitely appreciate touring, and not be alone."
 
Like many of his American musical compatriots, it was the British who stepped up to the plate, and appreciated his talent. In fact he's still signed to the British label Lucky Number Music, home to artists such as Alex G, Caged Animals, Friends, Hinds, Sleigh Bells, and Sebastien Tellier. "I had been to random small towns in Germany, with my old band, Creaky Boards. All four of us, we were songwriters in that band, but it was really Andrew's (Hoepfner) band (who went on to play bass in Darwin's band). Andrew is really 'Type A' and he goes after things he wants, so he booked an entire tour in Germany. But there is a circuit there for anti-folk… the point is I was there, and I was playing a couple of my own songs, solo, before Andrew's band, and I was distributing CDr's in paper cases that I did the art for, this minimalist art. This woman from a distribution company in Germany happened to be in her little small town, and she saw me, and sent the record label my myspace link and they were the ones who decided it had merit and were going to back it. They started talking about it to everybody and that's how I got my first blog in the NME."
 

 
Back to Meher Baba. A quick look at his Wikipedia entry reveals a rather infamous Indian spiritual master who said he was the Avatar; God in human form. As well as the aforementioned Pete Townsend (who dedicated the Tommy album to him), there was Bobby McFerrin's song 'Don't Worry, Be Happy' inspired by this ubiquitous quote of Baba's… "We are all Baba lovers," says Darwin straight-faced. "Having met other Baba lovers and people who had spent their life with him, there's something special about them and him. You just feel the love and the joy. I was bowled over by this really sweet love that melts your heart and makes you weep.
 
"When I was 15 I really connected because I went to summer camp for teenager Baba lovers. I went not knowing anyone with parents like me. All these kids, from all around the world, and we all met each other, and we had such a good time together, so much love and connection, I was blown away. I was on cloud nine for months afterwards. That's what Baba is about apart from any beliefs or metaphysics or philosophy. It was that experience. You gotta have it to understand. Now that he is not here, the only way to get that experience is from people who love him. If you were curious you would have to meet other Baba lovers and see if you like them.
 
"Some of my band mates have gotten a pretty good idea of the common threads between us (Baba lovers). When we tour around the country I meet up with them and crash with them. I think there's some sweetness, some thoughtfulness and care, as common threads."
 
How does it influence your music? "I don't think it does influence my music. My dad wrote songs and they were all about Meher Baba. My songs don't. They are all secular, about relationships, existentialist as far as I will take it in a song, as pertains to cosmic themes. I don't really go there in my music. If it has any influence it would be that I try and uplift with my music. Even my sour songs I try and have an up-tempo groove to them. Hopefully I am bringing spirits up, rather than bringing them down… There's people like Portishead or James Blake who do that well. If you are in the mood to write you are generally a little bit down. It's music easier to write then, therefore it's easier to write downer music in my experience. It takes more of an effort to write upper music."
Jeff Hemmings
 
Website: darwindeez.com
 
DOUBLE DOWN
Darwin Deez
Songs For Imaginative People