Music

THIS EXISTS: Darlin', a surprisingly horrible band featuring the guys who went on to form Daft Punk

by Tyler Munro

Every week, This Exists uncovers and explores musical peculiarities that exist in the dark corners of the internet, sometimes just outside the mainstream. Today we’ll take (an admittedly brief) look at Darlin’, a three piece band that we’re all glad sucked since each of its members went onto bigger, better and more robotic things.

Ever wonder how Daft Punk got their name? It’s a funny story, actually. In the early 90s, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (they’re the dudes in the space suits) were in a band with a fellow named Laurent Brancowitz (he’s the guitarist in Phoenix). Long story short, that band, Darlin’, kind of sucked. Don’t believe me? Scroll down. But yeah, they sucked. They only ended up releasing about 4 minutes of music, but it was enough for a British reviewer to call their sound “a bunch of daft punk”

The rest, they say, is history.

But back to Darlin’ for a second. Remember a while back when I said they sucked? Here’s their only two songs (“Cindy, So Loud” and “Darlin'”) mixed into one track for your listening pleasure (only not, because they’re awful). That guitar solo? Yikes. Let’s just say its a far cry from the ultra-catchy leadwork on Discovery.