Darnel Parkinson - UK - releases brand new mini-EP ‘We Le Tired’ today [24th March] as a homage to his last six years writing and recording music. After being featured on BBC Upload and his latest single Funny How a Face Can Fade featuring on BBC Radio Kent, Darnel is releasing a new mini-EP as a compilation of 3 original tracks, all of which fit within the Acoustic Chill-Hop genre. The tracks are inspired by real-life experiences and cover everything from relationships and tough decisions to travelling the world.

Darnel began his career at the age of 14, where he then trained professionally in Musical Theatre. This resulted in him travelling around the Caribbean and Americas on cruise ships as an actor and musician, which came to a halt due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. However, this has only worked to encourage Darnel to pursue his goal of being a recording artist. The past year focused on creating and releasing his music alongside producing some of his newest tracks.

Speaking to Darnel, there’s a real spark about him that’s infectious. Through his music, he represents himself as an artist who enjoys his craft and the fun that comes with it. The title of the mini-EP originates from one of those exact moments when he was vacationing in Marrakech. Darnel describes the moment candidly: “My friends and I were really bored one morning, freestyling a bunch of really awful songs - but we'd sign off each video with "We Le Tiiiired" and then it just kinda became a thing.”

The title track of the mini-EP Nineteen was produced by Aftermind at Lonesome Dog Studios, where after hearing the demo, it ‘lit a fire up under’ him and was mastered within a week. The track, as the title suggests, is about Darnel’s experiences at 19 years old, and the naivety that comes with being a teenager. Although somewhat a stressful time in his life, in true Darnel style he’s turned those memories into a positive, upbeat and catchy tune. Musically inspired by JP Cooper, it’s a track centred around his solid belief that ‘jumping from one relationship to another’ can be one of the most mentally damaging things to go through in your life. The track screams summer, and would be the perfect backdrop to an afternoon in the sun.

WWYD [Stripped] has duelling guitars and a very loop-happy Latin feel, which captures how Darnel played the guitar as a teen, and is reminiscent of when he learnt the Ukelele. The lyrics follow a narrative of a teenage boy terrified to break-up with his long-term girlfriend, trying to find the right words, fearing the reaction - all of that emotion combined. Darnel is open about the influence of the track “At the time it was one of the biggest decisions I’d ever made in my life, I felt trapped, I didn’t know myself and wanted to be an individual for the first time - so it was hard. I know I’m not the only one who’s felt this so I know a lot of people listening will relate.”

With this track, much like the entirety of the EP, Darnel wanted to encompass the sound of a teenager’s demo tape and take listeners back to being younger and experimenting with music. The track has a bouncy summer vibe, yet with a raw acoustic, stripped back feel.

Although the title of his final track Post Tropical alludes to his time travelling around the Caribbean, the song has a much more sentimental meaning. The song captures the intimate moments with his girlfriend where they’d listen to his record player. The one album that they treasure together is James Vincent McMorrow’s ​Post Tropical​ - so this song is a literal love letter to their relationship; overtured by that album. The vibe of the song is smooth and chilled, which captures Darnel’s chilled personality and music-taste to a tee. It was originally recorded with Darnel’s Alhambra Classical guitar, which really gives a warm sunset feel to the music.