Darwin Deez

Born in North Carolina to Maher Baba disciples, Darwin grew up on a diet of Weezer, Nirvana and Nada Surf, and started his first band with friends at age 12. After attending and promptly dropping out of Wesleyan University, Connecticut (whose alumni include Santigold and MGMT), Darwin moved to and found himself at home in New York City.
In the East Village, he became a fixture of Monday nights at the Sidewalk Café, a 'legendary stomping ground for NYC's Anti-folk scene' responsible for launching artists such as Regina Spektor, Adam Green and Kimya Dawson.
Here, Deez felt like he had finally found his niche. "It was the real hub of the action for me. I became inspired to write better lyrics by studying the other songwriter-performers there".
As Darwin came into his own as a performer, his live shows became extravaganzas of unbridled energy and unfettered joy. He's been known to break into spontaneous bouts of synchronised dancing which can erupt anytime, almost out of nowhere.
Describing his strain of pop as "a little bit Thriller, a little bit Dismemberment Plan" and with a fondness for D.I.Y aesthetics and twisted wordplay, his sound calls to mind everyone from The Strokes and Beck to Arthur Russell and The Flaming Lips.