Diamond Rings and PS I Love You Reunite at SXSW

Diamond Rings may have just gotten off a big-ticket support slot with Swedish pop star Robyn, but he hasn't forgotten his indie roots. The rising experimental pop act has reconnected with garage duo PS I Love You for a recent tour culminating at this week's SXSW. He's also collaborated with his fellow Ontarians for the song 'Special Affections,' to be released on seven-inch March 29.

"As fun as its been playing bigger stages and seeing another side of the wide world of music, it'll be nice to step back a little into what I'm familiar with and play with a band I'm familiar with," Diamond Rings, aka John O'Regan, tells Spinner. "It'll be nice to play for some people that maybe couldn't afford $40 tickets and $10 drink tickets."
Diamond Rings and PS I Love You's familiar inter-band relationship has led to onstage collaborations in the past, and their upcoming single makes a repeat almost inevitable at SXSW. 'Leftovers' is miles away from the dark, glammy pastiche-pop found on Diamond Rings' much-buzzed debut 'Special Affections,' but it should sound familiar to anyone who's heard the college-rock worshiping guitar-heroics of PS I Love You's 'Meet Me In the Muster Station.'

Listen to Diamond Rings and PS I Love You's Track 'Leftovers'


"We'd been working on that song for a while, but it's mostly their thing," says O'Regan. "I wrote all the vocal melodies, all the lyrics, and they wrote the music. They recorded it in their own studio with their own producer and then I added my vocals later."

Still, those accustomed to O'Regan's lo-fi laptop production may be surprised to hear his signature baritone blend with Paul Saulnier's thick, squalling guitar. But it's not as far a stretch as you might think. Before developing his Diamond Rings persona, the lanky singer acted as frontman for the more traditional rock band, the D'Urbervilles.

Diamond Rings was originally intended as a side project, but his breakout success as a solo artist has put the D'Urbervilles long-awaited sophomore album on hold. Those wondering about the fate of the band should take note: O'Regan insists the D'Urbervilles are not dead.

"We've got stuff ready," he says. "It's just a matter of people being ready for us at this point. I'm maxed out on tour right now, but once we get off the hamster wheel we'll definitely sit down and figure it all out.

"I think I've reached a lot of new music fans over the last year or so who maybe weren't familiar with what I was doing when I was in my teens and early twenties. It'll be cool to surprise those people in another way. It's great that people are digging what I've done so far with Diamond Rings -- I'm looking forward to showing them that's not all I can do."

Watch Diamond Rings' Video for 'Fake Problems'