Nicolas Jaar has shared a fresh vision for his Darkside project with guitarist Dave Harrington. While the duo’s first move this year was a full-album remix of Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, and their second salvo came in the form of a mighty 11-minute instrumental, new song “Paper Trails” exposes a more streamlined sound. The song begins with some moody groove and guitar-play not far off from the coiffed rockabilly soul of Chris Isaak.
Jaar affects a slight, apropos sneer as he sings, “I told you I would catch you … I told you I would find you.” The New Yorker’s electronic touch is ostensibly minimal here, confined mostly to accentuating beats and deepening textures. It’s a great look, and even more reason to be keep an ear out for Darkside’s October 8 debut album, Psychic, which arrives as a joint release between Matador and Jaar’s own Other People imprint.
