Be me, spring of 2022, thinking my music taste had reached its peak with Lemon Demon’s “Touch Tone Telephone” and Glass Animals’ “The Other Side of Paradise.” Bangers to be sure – but people would hardly call those deep cuts nowadays. As a future representative of KSDT, I had to start expanding my horizons! And this artist would be my key to that bright, indie future: starting with a song called “Reverse Cowgirl.”
Mickey Darling, the Texas-native duo of Skyler Molina (singer) and Austin Medrano (musician), is a font of unforgettable, playful pop hits. Featuring some downright foul lyrics about former lovers, their music is defined as much by their catchy melodies as their witty lyricism. Their discography ranges from contagious dance pop to moody, introspective pieces about the expectations of fame. Since the band’s inception in 2018, they’ve steadily released singles and grown their discography to ~27 songs that most fans know by heart. September 2024 marked the release of the band’s first LP: Let’s Dance Until We Get Scared.
If you’re a fan of artists like Ricky Montgomery, an indie icon in his own right, or the raunchy humor of Sabrina Carpenter, these guys do that to a whole new level. They are the kings of situationship/messy break-up music. My partner of 4 years broke up with me right before attending their concert – WITH ME – for the sole purpose of “getting the full experience.” Let’s take a look at some of Mickey’s funniest lines that showcase just that.
→ Don’t tease me, and then mislead me / ‘Cause I’ll need 13 Reasons why you wanna leave me (“Wallows Song”)
→ U mean to tell me / That it doesn’t mean that u like me when u like my tweets? (“Em Rata”)
→ And I won’t lie, I always cry when I finish (“Pity Party”)
→ Dad, I’m not gay, I just like kissing guys / It all tastes the same when you close your eyes (“VROOM VROOM”)
And as you can imagine, the list goes on. All of these songs have the charm of telling the same story, just in slightly different fonts. He cheats, she leaves, he misses her, he’s pissed off about it: rinse repeat. And it sounds amazing every time! There isn’t a single MD song that I’ve heard and gone, “I’m never listening to this shit again.” While Let’s Dance is a departure from the typical & familiar sound of their previous music, it provides some much needed texture to their discography that new listeners may even appreciate more than their older content. I would recommend “pipe down,” “always online,” and “alone, in her mind.”
If you enjoy indie/bedroom pop or have just gone through an awful breakup, I cannot recommend Mickey Darling to you enough. Every ounce of energy in their music is amplified by a hundred in a live setting, and I can tell you every person in the Voodoo Room (in San Diego!) was jumping and singing for their entire hour and a half performance. And if this article has convinced you to check them out, you’ll have the opportunity soon: they’ll be playing venues throughout California from December 3rd to the 21st!
There’s always room for a little silly pop in your life.
Must-Listens:
→ Em Rata