Bio
Darren's music offers glimmers of hope and nostalgia in a world that often feels brutal, disconnected and absurd. Shaped by a yearning for connection and a lifelong search for somewhere to belong, his songs explore longing, memory, missed chances and the small things that keep us going. Seeing both the humour and tragedy in being human, Darren writes with warmth, honesty and hard-earned optimism. Beneath the melancholy lies a belief that, despite everything, there is still beauty to be found.
Blending acoustic guitars, memorable melodies and rhythmic indie-pop arrangements, his songs find warmth in disappointment, beauty in imperfection and hope in places where most people stop looking. Neither cynical nor sentimental, Darren's songwriting embraces life's contradictions while holding onto the possibility that life can still surprise us.
Originally from London and now based in Helsinki, Finland, Darren spent years performing in bands, touring the UK festival and pub circuit, and working across theatre and film before launching his solo career in 2017 with his debut single, Days Gone By. Through it all, his songwriting has remained rooted in the same belief: that even in life's confusion, disappointment and uncertainty, there are still reasons to keep going.
WORDS
ALREADY YESTERDAY
In the morning time I'm disrupted by your performance right on cue
All I ever wanted was a little more
It don't mean I mind, just so very tired, by the evening time I'm screwed
All I ever wanted was just a little more I thought you knew
And night has drawn upon our eyes
The dark and heavy circles of good times
Hey you in disguise
Hey you trying to hide
Hey you, hey you
With carnage in your eyes
There's the games we play, just for safety's sake, realise it's all for you
I would never hold you responsible
Like the death of light or the dead of night and the dread of all things new
Our future is unknown like I once was to you
Pinnacles, miracles of wonder
Gliding by our blind eyes every day
Hey you in disguise
Hey you trying to hide
Hey you, hey you
With carnage in
Hey you in disguise
Hey you trying to hide
Hey you, hey you
With carnage in
Your eyes open wide still nothing surprises
You're openly hopelessly bored
And stuck without doubt of the nature throughout
That in time must come to us all
Hey you want the light
Hey you in the night
Hey you bring the fight
Hey you time is right
Hey you in disguise
Hey you trying to hide
Hey you, hey you
With carnage in
Hey you, hey you, hey you, hey you
Hey you, hey you, hey you, hey you
Hey you
WE KNOW BETTER
You get very down, don't you feel like the weight
Of the world is on your shoulders, I can't contemplate
You say you're under a cloud but won't step into the sun
If everybody is holding you back then how come you can run
Yeah, where you gonna run now
We know better from the start
It was clear that I would never leave you brokenhearted
We know better but since we parted
It starts all over again
There's an inner desire, hope you can see it through
Take an action and make it culture, anyone will do
If the enemy is within you then the fight is too
Letting go isn't always easy but I will stand by you
Yeah, I will stand by you now
We know better from the start
It was clear that I would never leave you brokenhearted
We know better but since we parted
It starts all over again
So now you're verified, only hope can save your soul
A little do or die might be wise to save your goals
Under the thumb on line a thousand eyes are set to troll
A team of newer lies, I despise myself dug hole
We know better from the start
It was clear that I would never leave you brokenhearted
We know better but since we parted
It starts all over again
We know better from the start
It was clear that I would never leave you brokenhearted
We know better but since we parted
It starts all over again
It starts all over again
Yeah, let's start over again
GET OUT OF MY HEART
Got a feeling there's no longer any room for two
And I believe it wouldn't hurt to have the extra room
We've both been here before but now you
Have crossed the line too many times and now I'm through
And how could fortune tell we'd ever break this spell
Cast over me so easily and turned to hell
I did my time and played my part
I wish I never met you, get out of my heart
Don't know who wrote the song called breaking up is hard to do
But I feel certain they had no relation at all to you
And how could fortune tell we'd ever break this spell
Cast over me so easily and turned to hell
I did my time and played my part
But I wish I never met you, get out of my heart
Someone to hold me down for everything I've done
Ain't the way it's supposed to be now
For I'm alive only once so I must be free
And how could fortune tell we'd ever break this spell
Cast over me so easily and turned to hell
I did my time and played my part
I wish I never met you, get out of my heart
I did my time and played my part
But I wish I never met you, get out of my heart
Now I wish I never met you, get out of my heart
DAYS GONE BY
I have so many tales to tell
And up till now have been telling them real badly
So I hate myself and all my faults
Because the one thing time won’t heal is the loss of days gone by
Days gone by
All of us, everyone
Can’t escape, cannot run
Hiding never saved a soul
New to realise I’m old
Braver days left back when
The future was a kinder friend
Fell out with the summertime
Into the autumn of my life
I love me man, more each day
Breathe deeper but stand the same
Anxiety’s a young man’s game
Need to feel real anyway
My problems don’t hurt too much
Yet I’m feeling out of touch
Gasping at the need to cry
Parting ways with days gone by
Days gone by seem to fly
As we count the ticking time bomb of life
But who could hold a candle to god
When you, who kept the wolf from the door
Brought me more than promises
I have nowhere left to go now anymore
I’d like to capture this moment
But it’s possible as times before
Our reality has become broken in the days
Days gone by seem to fly
Are we only waiting to die here
Who am I, who am I, who am I in days gone by
Who am I, who am I, who am I in days gone by
Who am I, who am I, who am I in days gone by
Who am I, who am I, who am I in days gone by
Who am I, who am I, who am I in days gone by
Who am I, who am I, who am I in days gone by
Who am I, who am I, who am I in days gone by
Who am I, who am I, who am I in days gone by
Days gone by, days gone by
I have you
SALUTE
No-one to kiss goodnight or share your prayers
Not even a light on at the top of the stairs
Too often you’ve gone to bed hungry or didn’t even have a bed
Can’t sleep for the nightmares inside of your head
A cold and lonely young me sat wishing he were somewhere else
And everyone I tried to reach out to laughed
Cause they couldn’t give a fuck that you need a little help
Never had a dad through the vital years
Developing a backlog of fears
And couldn’t find a way to shed tears
So you write shit down like I’m doing here
One thing I know now, we’re not here for a long time
And when you grow I swear little bro, you're gonna have a better life
Every time I hurt inside, all I do is dream of you
And I know I’ll be alright, I know that I’ll be safe tonight
Every-time I’m feeling down, haunted by my memories
I just look at where I am, and all the rest is history
Alcohol, you know what I mean, should have left it alone It never helped my dreams
Just dulled the pain made me forget, which then felt like it helped at first, but yet
Further on down the road It took control and slowly dulled my soul so I could never be whole
Not a doctor but I know, without these tunes I’d be in a six-foot hole
I cried out for help and alcohol listened, but for far too long kept me imprisoned
Wish I knew that back when I was younger
Took the long road out to becoming stronger
Stayed cool, got up and out but really who knew
Knowledge is power stop playing the fool
Share yourself with the world and the world will love you I promise you
Every time I hurt inside, all I do is dream of you
And I know I’ll be alright, I know that I’ll be safe tonight
Every-time I’m feeling down, haunted by my memories
I just look at where I am, and all the rest is history
Soon your love grow, we’ll meet together then
Prepare your greatest show, together on we’ll go
Let go, move on, pass it on, Irish blood of an English son
CONSTANT
Taken everything that I got
Take in everything, so I had to stop
Like I turned a light on, in a shot
World got much brighter
And I'm never gonna give up giving up
Because I made a choice at a fork in the road
Took a chance now I'm living life as it goes
Never too late to try out my new flow and feeling good
Burnt all my money in the days gone by
Still, I'm living like a rich man, I wish man alive I'll never die
Got to give my future a try, so I'm living in the now, never asking why
Even though I don't no more
We can still get high tonight
I'll be your constant
Keep you from your conscience
I'll be your constant
I'll be your best friend
Traded vitals for a shot
Played my rivals, now they're closing shop
Because I hit this harder than a rock
Stepping over the fallout
Is like tripping over my own damn cock
I made a choice at a fork in the road
But I'm swinging left, visiting my days of old
Never gonna trust these stories I'm told of god by men
Whether I be rich or poor
We can still get by tonight
I'll be your constant
Keep you from your conscience
I'll be your constant
So it goes, and so we struggle
To mix with the crowd
Because we fight ourselves, regardless
But I'm here right now
And I'll be your constant
Keep you from your conscience
Yeah, I'll be your constant
And I'll be your constant
Keep you from your conscience
Yeah, I'll be your constant
I'll be your best friend
I'll be your best friend
I'll be your best
I'll be your best friend
BRING BACK THE LOVE
Now here we go I wanna tell you a little story about a boy
This kiddie didn't have any toys
He learned to use his brain and imagination (Different ways)
From the other kids on their playstations (Happy days)
You see this situation never really bothered him
What did however was the other kids who started mocking him
Prodding him pushing him around
Bringing him down for his poverty and not having a father around
But he kept it in because his mother was depressed
And didn't want to make her any worse or upset
A shy boy, quiet boy, joker to his mates
But secretly was building up a tonne of fucking hatred carefully
Living in a rough part of town
You get exposed to every sick nutter that’s around
And he had a right to be scared this boy with bright red hair
Getting cut wasn't unusual if you happen to be fair there
Nah nah nah - No more let it go
My my my - My whole entire world
Far far far - Too far down the road
Lah lah lah - I sing to bring back the love
Nah nah nah - No more let it go
My my my - I sing to bring back the love
So taking a positive from a negative kid, which was me right
I struggled with so much shit I could flip my lid and bring on the fight
Ripe for the type of hype that in this life you might expect right?
Wrong cause darkest days and darker nights I spent my life on this
A piece of my own soul, the one thing that keeps me whole
So don’t ever try to kill my flow cause I’ll catch up with you and
Blow your views up, you're confused son
I’ll break it down so simply that you're ego might feel bruised though
I know what I mean and I mean what I say
Say it again if I please can I take it away
I know I’m not hip hop cos I’m punk as fuck
But I use it as a platform because my lyrics rock (Ho)
Skip Ja bolder, skip skip ja bolder
Don’t claim you’re as smart as me, I am ten years older
I know what I mean and I mean what I say
Say it again if I please, come on take it away
Nah nah nah - No more let it go
My my my - I sing to bring back the love
Far far far - Too far down the road
Lah lah lah - I sing to bring back the love
Raised around insane minds and anger
Nearly brought me down
But I’ve moved on somehow from you, for me in every single way now
Nah nah nah - No more let it go
My my my - My whole entire world
Far far far - Too far down the road
Lah lah lah - I sing to bring back the love
Nah nah nah - No more let it go
My my my - I sing to bring back the love
Far far far - Too far down the road
Lah lah lah - I sing to bring back the love
Like some old plimsolls I’ll leave it there
Cos best left where it are
And moving toward my true goals
I’m barefoot staring at the stars
Like some old plimsolls I’ll leave it there
Cos best left where it are
So moving toward my true goals
What were the words?
I sing to bring back the love
HEY YOU
In the morning time I'm disrupted by your performance right on cue
All I ever wanted was a little more
It don't mean I mind, just so very tired, by the evening time I'm screwed
All I ever wanted was just a little more I thought you knew
And night has drawn upon our eyes
The dark and heavy circles of good times
Hey you in disguise
Hey you trying to hide
Hey you, hey you
With carnage in your eyes
There's the games we play, just for safety's sake, realise it's all for you
I would never hold you responsible
Like the death of light or the dead of night and the dread of all things new
Our future is unknown like I once was to you
Pinnacles, miracles of wonder
Gliding by our blind eyes every day
Hey you in disguise
Hey you trying to hide
Hey you, hey you
With carnage in
Hey you in disguise
Hey you trying to hide
Hey you, hey you
With carnage in
Your eyes open wide still nothing surprises
You're openly hopelessly bored
And stuck without doubt of the nature throughout
That in time must come to us all
Hey you want the light
Hey you in the night
Hey you bring the fight
Hey you time is right
Hey you in disguise
Hey you trying to hide
Hey you, hey you
With carnage in
Hey you, hey you, hey you, hey you
Hey you, hey you, hey you, hey you
Hey you