artist The O'Darling

The O’Darling, a seven-piece orchestral collective, is defining a new Canadian sound and quickly becoming one of the country’s most promising bands. Exceptional musicianship, thoughtful song-writing, achingly beautiful vocals and sophisticated harmonies make The O'Darling nothing short of celestial. From coast to coast; Jennah Barry, Ida Maidstone, Chantel Emond, Olivier Cléments, David Barry, Galen Pelley and Colin Nealis met in Toronto in 2008. Their contrasting personalities and diverse musical sensitivities have shaped their unique sound evolving from an acoustic fairytale to indie alt-pop.

Since their first performance there was an overwhelming response from Toronto’s indie scene. They were prompted to release their debut recording, A Nice EP and fans, critics, and music bloggers alike named the group as something to look out for. Their eagerly anticipated full-length album, the O’Darling, was released in the summer of 2009. This stunning collection of songs launched the Blue Skies Festival where they performed for more than two thousand people and sold every CD they had on hand. Their performances at The Black Sheep Inn, The Rivoli, El Mocambo, The Media Club (Vancouver), Green Room (Montréal), and The Cultch have left audiences in awe.

The O’Darling have collaborated and shared the stage with artists such as Maurice, Hey Ocean, Dan Mangan, Mark Berube, Aidan Knight, Miss Emily Brown and Said the Whale. Their most recent collaborations have led to a successful fall tour with Miss Emily Brown and the release of Versicolour by Aidan Knight. They continue to gain recognition, earning spots at Canadian Music Week and the Vancouver Island MusicFest in 2010. Globe and Mail has chosen The O’Darling as one of ten unclaimed treasures of 2009. With air time on CBC Radio, two successful Canadian tours and loads of fans from coast to coast, The O’Darling is most certainly on the rise and is undoubtedly becoming a compelling collective in the future of Canadian music.

“This pocket orchestra’s first album
is a mixture of winsome thrift-shop
ballads, sly cabaret numbers and tunes
innocent enough to play on a solo
xylophone. Great stuff from a relatively
new Toronto band.”
R.E.-G. (The Globe and mail)