Diana Darby

Houston-born singer/songwriter Diana Darby makes deceptively delicate, insightful music that calls to mind the work of Kendra Smith and Lisa Germano. She began writing songs and poetry as a child, drawing inspiration from Bob Dylan's turns of phrase and the deceptive simplicity of the Velvet Underground. Working with multi-instrumentalist Mark Spencer and drummer Will Rigby, Darby released her debut album, Naked Time, in 2000. In 2002, she appeared on the Kris Kristofferson tribute Nothing Left to Lose and contributed to a pair of 2003 compilations, Acuarela Songs from the Spanish label Acuarela, and Eye of the Beholder III, a collection from Tract Records with a limited edition of 500 copies.

Darby also released her second album, Fantasia Ball, which found her embracing a more lo-fi, intimate approach that included the sound of her dog barking and refrigerator humming. Two years later, she issued The Magdalene Laundries, a collection of songs loosely inspired by the Irish home for wayward women. In 2012, Darby returned with IV (Intravenous), one of her most hushed and hypnotic efforts yet.