With an original mixture of alternative pop, funk and caribbean influence, Daria & The Hip Drops have been gaining recognition for some time now. Today (July 9), the band is premiering the music video for “Day Too Long,” reminding everyone of their influences and what their style means for New Orleans music.
“Lively, upbeat and energetic are a few words that I would use to describe the band’s sound,” said the band’s effervescent frontwoman, vocalist, pannist and keyboardist Daria Dzurik. “Genres like calypso and funk are a big influence in our playing and songwriting, but we like to record more true to traditional rock and pop. I love reggae, rocksteady, soca, dancehall, calypso and ska, but this is not that. I don’t know that I could even pull that off. But I listen to one of those genres everyday, so I think bits of that come through when putting songs together, and of course the fact that steel pan is my main instrument swings the sound a certain way.”
Along with a bricolage sound constructed from myriad surrounding styles, Daria & The Hip Drops wear their indebtedness to New Orleans funk on their sleeves–or their name, rather. Naming themselves after the “Hip Drop” song and dance, which was created by the New Orleans-based funk band The Explosions in the ’60s, Daria & The Hip Drops hope to highlight the mix of funk and Caribbean sounds found in New Orleans.
The video for “Day Too Long” depicts the band having fun at Courtyard Brewery–dancing on an old car, playing dominoes and embodying their own brand of carefree funk/pop. “I wrote the lyrical theme about challenges being faced in everyday life, but having song and power of singing together as a tool of unity to try and power through tough times,” explained Dzurik. “Hence our lyrics: If your day seems too long, sing, sing a song with me. I, I believe that you will see along, they try and keep you down, but they can’t take your song.”
The band’s new single “Day Too Long” is available on streaming services. Click here to learn more about Daria & The Hip Drops.
