Watch #XPNFest artists Darlingside make a long-awaited appearance at NPR Music’s Tiny Desk

Just one song into Darlingside‘s Tiny Desk Concert, it becomes clear that the band has been waiting a long time for this moment. And they came prepared — with some banter about a quiche, far-reach comparisons of themselves and NPR’s Bob Boilen, and three delicate, harmony-filled songs.

Darlingside submitted a song to NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest three years ago, and in the meantime have made a name for themselves with their distinctive sound. We became familiarized with Darlingside’s four-part harmonies and carefully crafted instrumentals when they released their 2015 debut album Birds Say, and this summer they’ll return to play XPN Fest for a second time. But it wasn’t until recently that the band made it to D.C. to play behind the famed Tiny Desk itself.

Darlingside’s set opens with the band’s four members and their many instruments crowded into the very small space, their soft sound a perfect match for the stripped-down Tiny Desk atmosphere as they launch into a rendition of “The God of Loss” from Birds Say. After a big sigh of relief and an instrument swap, Darlingside rounds out the set with”Best Of The Best Times” from their new album Extralife, and that record’s title track.

Watch below, and find more information on this year’s XPoNential Music Festival at xpnfest.org.

Setlist
“The God of Loss”
“Best Of The Best Times”
“Extralife”