The Wild Honey Pie
“Not unlike Lucy Dacus or Haley Heynderickx, with a lilt reminiscent of Mitski, Carli’s clear but tender voice cuts through the first few seconds like a call to attention... With thoughtful lyrics paired alongside gorgeous vocals and intricate instrumentation, “Mimi” is an impressively mature and promising debut, making Carli & The Dark an artist to keep an ear out for.”
The Deli
“magically realistic songwriting… like an oracle’s visions”
Bio
Carli & The Dark is the project of Phoenix-based singer-songwriter Carli Naff. After graduating from theater school in her home state of Arizona, Carli moved to New York to pursue a career in acting. While auditioning and living in Queens, she started writing songs for the first time and would practice them by busking in the subway tunnels. She began building a fan base playing secret pop-up shows in NYC and on the West Coast, and eventually she teamed up with Brooklyn indie label Paper Moon Records to release her first single Mimi in 2019.
Currently, Naff is back in her hometown wrapping up her first EP under this project. It’s a 3-song release called Dream that was written and recorded during the pandemic.
The album moves through the inner life of having a crush: first the sweet longing, then the surfacing of unhealthy patterns, and finally the self-reflection. It touches on themes of attraction and self-criticism.
The first single from the EP - Baby is out now on Paper Moon Records.
For fans of: Okay Kaya, Angel Olsen, Mitski, Moses Sumney, Phoebe Bridgers, Madeline Kenney, Haley Heynderickx
Photos by Sara Laufer