Starting at the early age of 7, Canadian artist Darrian Gerard took her first artistic steps with learning the guitar before becoming a multi-instrumentalist after adding piano, drums, and bass to her arsenal, making it easier for her to take control of her solo career. In 2021 she started by releasing a series of singles all written, recorded, and produced in her basement, leading to the release of her highly anticipated EP Basement Stadium that’ll be out on the 10th of February, 2023. Basement Stadium is a personal journey that takes us through Gerard’s struggles and vulnerabilities and today, I’m here to tell you all about it.
Darrian Gerard kickstarts Basement Stadium with Explosion, a perfect opener with loads of energetic riffs, hard-hitting drums, and uplifting vocals that got me excited and ready to go. It even has some dynamic twists and turns that make it even more interesting and shows that Gerard is not willing to take the easy way in her writing. Powerless hits next with a more emotional sound and touching melodies. I had the pleasure to review it upon its release as a single and man, it’s one hell of a unique piece that demonstrates Darrian Gerard’s writing skills with its smooth progression that keeps on pushing forward without compromising its core feeling. Gerard steers into a darker and more atmospheric territory on Everybody’s Mad at Me, the acoustic guitar intro gave it a warm welcoming opener as the synths crept in creating the dark atmospheric halo that alongside Darrian’s soft smooth vocals formed a perfect fit. It keeps on slowly and skillfully progressing and getting into a bigger sound until the well-arranged and orchestrated chorus hits in, pushing its sound and dynamics even further adding a deeper, more interesting layer to its mix. With an easy-going structure and insanely energetic drumming comes Backseat Driver. It has a lovely laid-back sound that projects a lot of early 2000s rock vibes that’s pretty approachable to a wide range of audiences, especially with Gerard’s catchy vocals. Ending the EP with an open sound and chill melodies comes Old Wounds. It has a smooth, fluid structure with a beautiful piano progression and a vocal melody that leads its dynamics throughout its streaming flow. A lovely ending to such a well-written solid EP.
Basement Stadium is a great start by Darrian Gerard, it shows her personality alongside her writing skills in a way that’ll make her fans relate to her music and that’ll create an unbreakable bond between them. Darrian managed to cleverly shape her influences and add her very own touch to them, creating something special that’s her very own. Looking forward to more from Darrian Gerard, Keep on rocking. Cheers!
Don’t miss Darrian Gerad previous features here.
