Darling James is the moniker of Melbourne-based songwriter/producer James O'Brien. Originally used as a vehicle for tracks pieced together in late night bedroom recordings while touring as a sideman for other acts, O'Brien quickly developed the idea into a full-time project complete with a blistering three-piece live band.
No stranger to the Australian music scene, O’Brien has delved into many projects since he first came to attention with seminal Brisbane-come-Melbourne indie darlings The Boat People. With O’Brien as co-frontman and songwriter The Boat People had eight triple j high rotation singles from three acclaimed albums that also made their mark on Los Angeles’ KCRW and the UK’s Radio 1. The Boat People travelled to the U.S. no less than six times (playing SXSW twice) toured the UK multiple times and played on home soil at the likes of Big Day Out, Woodford Folk Festival, Valley Fiesta, Sunset Sounds and support slots for artists such as David Byrne, The Shins, Powderfinger, Crowded House, Washington, Tim Rogers and Augie March.
Beyond this list, O’Brien co-wrote and sung YesYou’s breakout radio hit ‘Half of It’ in 2011 and worked as side man in the much-lauded Machine Translations with whom he has toured nationally multiple times. Working as bassist for Kate Miller-Heidke, O’Brien performed at Splendour In The Grass and Southbound as well as tours in Australia and overseas.
Late 2016 saw the release of Darling James' debut E.P. Theory of Mind. First single, the mesmerising, sizzling ‘Ultimatum Talk’, was added to rotation on triple j and has knocked up over 125,000 plays on Spotify. Sold-out hometown shows and interstate tours followed including spots with Olympia, The Church, Dan Kelly and Ella Hooper. Darling James earned kudos from Wally De Backer (Gotye) while single ‘God’s Graffiti’, featuring a mix of exotic instrumentation over a head-nodding dance beat, was promptly added to rotation on Double J.
Darling James’ second E.P. MOOD EYES was released in August 2018 and saw O’Brien turn up the high-key-pop dial a notch or two while unapologetically showcasing his furrowed-brow-but-fun take on song writing and production. Single ‘Silver Bullet’ received rotation on Double J and a national tour followed as well as a residency and Melbourne’s famed Cherry Bar. 
Now Darling James releases his new single ‘Thinking What You’re Thinking’, a whip-smart take on current events, childhood and old allegiances that sees O’Brien question past assumptions with a twinkle in his eye all wrapped up in his signature bent pop production.

Management:
Rick Chazan - rick@groundcontrolmusic.com

Spinning chaos into catharsis, JXCKY blends rock grit and trap flair to soundtrack the beautiful mess of modern identity. The Melbourne-based Chinese-Cambodian queer artist delivers razor-sharp hooks and falsetto-laced vocals with a venomous honesty that cuts through the noise. Every track is a theatrical confession—equal parts anti-pop spectacle and emotional exorcism.

Following the release of his debut EP, 'Thriving In Perpetual Darkness' — tearing through Apple Music’s playlists and staking his claim as an unfiltered disruptor — JXCKY stepped away from music to confront a widely noticed and deeply personal crisis. His absence forced a profound reckoning in both art and identity. Now independent after two years with TEAMWRK Records, he returns with a renewed sense of purpose, pouring that transformation into his forthcoming sophomore EP.

This new chapter channels emotional clarity into something confrontational and tender and serves as an offering for the queer, POC, and creative communities he stands with. For JXCKY, music isn’t just self-expression — it’s survival, reclamation, and protest wrapped in velvet and distortion.

1 Fountain St Miami, FL 33139

Demo Submissions: fountainstreetrecords@gmail.com

Founded by @joshbeiley, co-headed by @iamshakespeare

Gail Priest is a Sydney-based sound artist. Her practice involves sound design/composition for performance, installation and live laptop-based exploratory music. She is also a curator, writer and commentator on sound and media arts.

Her compositions exist in a liminal zone between song and soundscape. She is interested in exploring the timbre of the voice when filtered and effected—finding the point when it loses its ‘grain.’ She is similarly interested in the transformation of field recordings into new rhythmic and melodic material. It’s a continuing exploration of the relationship between the machinic and organic, the figurative and the abstract.

She has released 4 albums on her own label Metal Bitch, as well as releases on Endgame Records and Flaming Pines. 

Producer/Composer with an associates degree in music, specialising in songwriting.

Making a variety of music including ambient, electronic, psychedelic rock/pop, metal and more.


Equipment:
1994 Fender Stratocaster
2014 Fender Jaguar
1989 Epiphone Black Beauty Custom
2014 Tokai Jazz Bass
1978 Takamine F-400S 12 String Acoustic
1982 Roland Juno 6
1988 Yamaha DX11
2020 Gretsch Electromatic G5422TG
2022 Squire Bass VI
2021 Black Corporation Deckard's Dream MK2
2021 Behringer Pro 1
Fulltone OCD
Boss RE-20
Boss SY-1
TC Electronic Crescendo
Meris Polymoon
Vox V847 Wah

Giving the world some Love

Instagram - @RedRadaza
Facebook - Red Radaza Music
Youtube - @RedRadaza

Darling James is following