Allo Darlin

Description

Allo Darlins eponymous debut album runs the spectrum from joyous, breezy, punky, jump-around pop with fabulous harmonies to sparse ukulele and steel guitar heartbreakers. Singer Elizabeth Morris and bassist Bill Botting form the Australian contingent of the band, and put the bands sunny, optimistic sound down, in part, to the 365 straight days of sunshine they would enjoy back home in Queensland. Theres another band from Queensland called The Go-Betweens who talked about having a striped sunlight sound, says Elizabeth. Thats always been a quality that Ive been chasing in songs.

The album was recorded at Soup Studios beneath Londons famous Duke Of Uke shop, which is not coincidentally where Allo Darlin was born. Originally from a country town in Queensland, Elizabeth moved to London in 2005 and began writing music. It was when she bought a ukulele from the Duke in 2006 that Elizabeth found a way to realise the songs in her head. Suddenly the songs I was writing on uke felt a lot less laboured than the ones I was trying to write on guitar or piano, so in that sense it seemed very natural, she says.

Heading to the studio under the shop to record with producer Simon Trought and guest Monster Bobby of The Pipettes, the place began to feel like home. We had a lot of amazing nights in the studio, having parties, just making music because we love it, says Elizabeth. Nothing is better than being with your friends on a summers evening, everyone singing and drinking and playing together and forgetting about all the things that make life hard. So I think that feeling, of being in love and being with your friends, more than anything else, influenced the album. It was like being a kid again.