Biography

Live at Webster Hall – Photo by Glen Dicrocco
Hailing from New Plymouth, New Zealand, songwriter / producer Jon Darling grew up amidst the sounds of Sound Garden, Bad Religion, Radiohead, and local punk band Sticky Filth.
With influences ranging from expansive electronic music to lo-fi acoustic pop, Darling’s music is an eclectic blend of ambient soundscapes, delicate guitar melodies, and lush vocal harmonies.
In 1998 Jon moved to Brooklyn, NY, to perform on his sister Julia Darling’s promotional tour of her Wind-up Records debut album, ‘Figure 8’. Performing across the U.S., they opened for Squeeze, Crash Test Dummies, and 10,000 Maniacs, to name a few. Darling is also an accomplished sideman, having played guitar and provided background vocals for artists such as Tracy Bonham, Teddy Thompson, Chris Grace, Loudboy and more.
In 2006, Darling founded The Grey Race. With Ethan Eubanks on drums, Jeff Hill on bass, and Darling on vocals and guitar. The trio quickly signed with Unfiltered Records. The band released their debut EP, “Give It Love,” in 2007 and performed as an opening act on Rufus Wainwright‘s European tour. Jon Darling’s 5 song self-titled EP was released in 2015, followed by “Alchemy” in 2021. Check out the 2023 tech/house release, “Bully”, streaming on all platforms. Club mixes and extended play in high-quality formats can be found on Soundcloud and Bandcamp for purchase / download.