Erinn Bates and Jude Toy‘s soulful, rich harmonies are the sound their fan base has fallen in love with since they banded together to form The Darlins, and now those harmonies are on full display in their new single “Blackberry Whiskey.”
The ladies of this talented country duo come from similar music backgrounds, but it was fate that brought this skilled pair together. Bates self-taught herself piano by ear before taking lessons that carried into her college years while Toy was taught piano by her mother, a concert pianist, until she was introduced to the guitar in junior high and never put it down. Once Toy made her way to Nashville, she met Bates while they were working as makeup artists at Sephora. After discovering that they were both songwriters, the duo co-wrote on a tune called “All My Friends” with Max T. Barnes. The song received viral exposure on Twitter, Facebook, & YouTube after it won first place in the National Battle of the Bands, “The 2nd Hourly Gig” sponsored by Snagajob, where the prize was an opening gig for Montgomery Gentry.
That song/contest created not only a popularity among fans, but it had them performing all over, garnering the duo lucrative endorsements with Breedlove Guitars, Steve Clayton, Inc., Australian jewelry designers Julie Miles, Durango Boots, capturing Couture, and MAC Cosmetics.
Among the deals was the 2015 release of their first EP Crush, the release of the title track single, and a nomination for Best Country Duo or Group at the 2016 Nashville Industry Music Awards. On September 8, 2017, The Darlins released their new single titled “Blackberry Whiskey.”
Co-written by The Darlins and Robin Ruddy, “Blackberry Whiskey” displays the duo’s amazing harmonies, steady strumming guitar and creative lyrics equating love with the sweet intoxication of Blackberry Whiskey:
When you kiss me
When you kiss me like that
When you hold me
There ain’t’ No turning back
Burning so sweet
It’s killing me
Like the last shot of Blackberry Whiskey
When you kiss me
The Darlins’ sweet, soulful vocals are pure and the arrangement is crisp, making this an infectious song to roll your windows down and sing out loud.
“Blackberry Whiskey” is available on all digital music sites.
For information on The Darlins, visit their website: www.thedarlins.com