Alfred A. Darlington (more commonly heard as Daedelus) and Laura B. Darlington are The Long Lost. Originally meeting in their high school orchestra and becoming partners in the ballroom dance club, the couple spent 4 years apart but during a renewed courtship formed The Long Lost. Their eponymous debut album looks at love in an honest and sometimes uncomfortable light, reclaiming it from bland, mainstream pop. With Valentine's Day approching, it seemed the perfect time to speak to this hopelessly romantic couple.
PS: Was there an instant musical as well as emotional reconnection when you got back together?
A: After four years of holding a candle for each other there were
unresolved smoldering emotions; perhaps music was an outlet for this
intensity. All I remember is how astonishingly quick our music all
came together.
PS: How did the idea of The Long Lost first present itself?
L: Shortly after we reunited, I mentioned to Alfred that during our
hiatus I'd begun collecting toy pianos, which delighted Alfred to no
end. This sparked a collaboration involving guitar and toy piano, and
before long we were singing to each other.
PS: Why does the topic of love prove so enduring in song and do The Long Lost open any new doors on the subject?
A & L: With the exception of Norwegian Death Metal, most music seems
to revolve around love and sex. Many of our songs are love songs, but
our situation is slightly unusual: we lost the great loves of our
lives and then regained them. Though we are now happily together,
there will always be those scars underneath that give even our most
carefree love songs a certain poignancy.
PS: Give us a top five of something.
Top Five Long-Lost Arts
1. Daguerreotypes
2. Silhouettes
3. Semaphore
4. Hair-work jewelry
5. Alchemy
Download 'Amiss' (Tuung Remix)
'The Long Lost' is released on 2nd March by Ninja Tune.
