ABOUT
Darksoft is a multi-instrumentalist songwriter and producer who creates dreamy indie rock sounds. Darksoft songs blend dream pop and shoegaze elements, using lush melodic progressions, 80s/90s alternative rock undertones, and deftly executed vocals. Darksoft is a solo recording project often supported by a full band for live shows. Darksoft is based in Portland, Maine.
To date, Darksoft has released a handful of self-produced conceptual albums. His most recent albums, Relativism (2024), and Grayscale (2023), were released by Spirit Goth records. His previous record, Beigeification (2023), is a postmodern dose of surfy sounds and beigey moods. Beigeification was #1 for radio station adds on NACC (1/17), got the #1 debut in its debut week (1/24), and reached #9 on the NACC Top 200 chart. Beigeification was released self-released by Darksoft as Look Up Records with tapes printed by 2060 Records. In 2023, Darksoft toured the west coast and the northeast US.
Cryo (2022) also received national radio attention, charting on both NACC and Sub-Modern Charts. 'Looking Backward' was added to Spotify's Indie Fresh Finds editorial playlist. Also in 2022, Darksoft toured the Pacific Northwest and New England. His previous records, Meltdown (2020) and Brain (2018), are in constant limbo between digital futurism and watery introspection, communicated through the language of computer viruses, algorithms, and human emotion, pure enough to pass the Turing Test.
Darksoft is originally from Seattle, where he participated in the local music scene for years. In 2021 he moved his family to Portland, Maine. Besides producing Darksoft, he has produced music under several other monickers. Darksoft also tries to support other musicians too. He manages Look Up Records, a small independent music label and blog.
If you would like to book Darksoft, or have any other questions, reach me on my Contact page or email me directly at darksoft.band@gmail.com. Press: feel free to download and reprint any photos below. If you are a radio DJ or station manager, please contact Pirate! for WAV/MP3 downloads.
BLURBS
Here are some nice things that music journalists have had to say about Darksoft. I truly appreciate these folks and the time they've taken getting to know my music and sharing it with their readers:
Top 30 albums of 2023, JanglePopHub
"chiming guitars, dayglo synths and earworm melodies" - The Top 10 Shoegaze Albums of 2023, Micro Genre Music
"a smooth-as-silk mélange of keys and guitars...compulsively alluring" - The Big Takeover, edition #92
"Everything that catchy indie rock should have" - Start-Track
“It Is What It Is.” An Interview With Darksoft - forestpunk
"sumptuous and pleasing" - Eclectic Music Lover
"strangely heartening" - JanglePopHub
"aching guitar chords and hushed, velvety vocals" - The Big Takeover, edition #91
"Only Time Will Tell is a lush and dreamy track" - Destroy//Exist
"fresh, light and sublime" - Zone Nights
"every time I replayed ‘Only Time Will Tell’ I felt renewed" - mp3hugger
"soothing, bittersweet vocals and hypnotic guitar work" - Post-punk.com
"infectious melodies progressions and ‘90s rock undertones" - V13
"one motherfucker of an album that grabs hold on first listen and refuses to let go" - Vanyaland
"beautiful melodies, outstanding guitar work, and stunning vocals" - Eclectic Music Lover
"an evocative piece of dream theater with grunge leanings" - American Pancake
"the most beautiful jangle-gaze aesthetic. A real find for me." - JanglePopHub
"slow, straightforward and sad alt rock" - Rock The Pigeon
"a gauze of shimmering shoegaze" - ohestee
Photo story: SWYM, Sealife, Darksoft, Daycones - Dan's Tunes