Darkside have shared a video for new song “S.N.C.” the track is off the band’s third album entitled Nothing, available February 28th via Matador Records.This March, the trio, comprised of Nicolás Jaar, Dave Harrington, and new member Tlacael Esparza – will begin their first North American tour in 11 years, including dates in Brooklyn, Chicago, and Vancouver. In a fundamental shift from their first dozen years as a band, Jaar and Harrington recruited their longtime friend and collaborator, the drummer and instrument designer Tlacael Esparza, to become a full-time member.

Jaar and Harrington originally met at school in Providence during the early years of the last decade. While on tour in support of Jaar’s debut album, an off-day off-hand recording session in a Berlin hotel room caused their speakers to blow. The room filled with smoke and the song divined that day became their first single “A1.”

Shortly after shattering the 7-foot double-sided mirror that accompanied them on their 2014 tour, DARKSIDE announced what would become a six-year hiatus. In the interim, Jaar released a string of acclaimed solo albums under his own name and his dance-oriented Against All Logic alias. The Chilean artist left his adopted home base of New York for a more nomadic existence overseas. He scored film soundtracks, produced for FKA Twigs, and taught sound-editing and listening workshops throughout the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America.

Indicative of his roots in the New York avant-jazz scene, Harrington pursued a similarly left-hand path. An intuitive player somewhere between John McLaughlin and Jerry Garcia, the guitarist and multi-instrumentalist moved to the West Coast and immediately became a linchpin of the L.A underground. He’s become one of the most prolific and imaginative experimentalists of his generation, leading his own group, playing in various other ensembles, and co-founding America’s new last great rock band, Taper’s Choice (a jam outfit formed with members of Real Estate and Vampire Weekend).

To prep for their return, DARKSIDE rented a storefront in northeast Los Angeles. Esparza joined as a full-time member, fundamentally changing the sound and spirit of the band. Throughout the summer of ’22, the new trio built itself from scratch. At The Spiral House, they deciphered their new identity and vocabulary.

One central touchstone, the “Nothing Jam” emerged from these impromptu sessions. This concept initially came out of the constant search for mindfulness, but also through Harrington’s moments in the morning with his newborn daughter, where he found a deep beauty in just sitting with her on the floor doing nothing.

For Jaar, this concept of nothing became applicable to other aspects of life. “Nothing” is the reflexive answer when asked about what’s wrong, when there’s too much to even begin to express. In this framework, “nothing” means its mirror opposite. Or “nothing” can be a damning illustration of the lack of change in the world. The maddening inaction on climate change, the political hypocrisy.

“Nothing” became a recurring motif on DARKSIDE’s subsequent European tour in the spring and summer of 2023. The sense of absence in the “Nothing Jam” could paradoxically become a generative space for creation. Recording sessions for the album began on a tour off-day, where the trio decamped to a studio in the south of France. Quickly, they locked into a whimsical, loose groove. The sessions in France were followed by another week in Los Angeles and another round in Paris.

Darkside 2025 Tour Date

Mar. 13 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed
Mar. 14 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Cathedral Theatre
Mar. 15 – Toronto, ON @ HISTORY
Mar. 16 – Montreal, QC @ MTELUS
Mar. 18 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
Mar. 19 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
Mar. 21 – New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel SOLD OUT
Mar. 22 – New York, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
Mar. 23 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Mar. 25 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
Mar. 26 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
Mar. 27 – Knoxville, TN @ Big Ears Festival
Apr. 4 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
Apr. 5 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
Apr. 6 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
Apr. 8 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
Apr. 9 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
Apr. 11-13 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
Apr. 15 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Union Event Center
Apr. 16 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
Apr. 18-20 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival

Pre-order Nothing by Darkside HERE