Danica Dares is a three-piece alt-indie band from Co.Durham, fronted by Harriet McBain on vocals, Jon Haines (bass and electronica) and Richard Sanderson (guitars). New to the scene, their sound encompasses everything from ‘80s synth to spoken word and choral music. Their lyrics are drawn upon personal experience and frank observations of everyday life to tell engaging stories. ‘Ode to Self’ is the band’s latest track. Kay Hall caught up with Harriet to find out more about this exciting new trio.
How would you describe your music?
With difficulty. Can I say genre-fusing? We’ve spent the last few months working on our debut album and each track has a pretty distinctive style. We blend indie, electro, synth-pop with dramatic vocals to get our messages across. We have one track that’s spoken word for 6 minutes and another where I fake an American accent and indulge my fantasy of being a cowgirl. We formed Danica Dares to push the lexicon of music coming out of the North East. We want to add a bit of magic, drama and intrigue to the scene!
Tell me about your latest release…
‘Ode To Self’ is an anthemic celebration of the self, our body and our mind. I took inspiration from classical poems about the British landscape (think William Blake) and used this to explore themes of self-respect and self-knowledge. Ultimately, it’s a song about compassion and the importance of showing this to ourselves and others.
Who are your musical inspirations?
That’s a difficult question to answer but I suppose I’d have to go for all the influential female vocalists I grew up listening to, predominantly jazz singers, so Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Diana Krall, Barbara Lynn, Patsy Cline, as well as Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton, Kate Bush – the list goes on. The boys in the band would say bands such as Ela Minusto, White Lies, The Cure and Pink Floyd and old school indie and shoegazing bands from the late ‘80s/early ‘90s.
What is next for Danica Dares?
Danica Dares has only just begun and we have lots of plans for 2021. We’re releasing our album this summer – and a couple more singles before then. Our main aim at the moment is just being able to get together as a band and play in the same room at the same time and work on more music together in person. We are now we’re ready to ditch our screens and get out there.
You can listen to ‘Ode to Self’ now on Soundcloud.
