L.A. Unheard: Oh Darling’s sweetheart sound

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Editor’s note: Every week, our colleagues at Brand X’s L.A. Unheard column unearth one of L.A.’s best undiscovered acts.

The band: Oh Darling, an L.A. indie-pop quartet. Formerly Portland, Ore.-based, the group’s become a regular on the eastside scene since arriving in town in 2009.

The sound: While one might expect a band named ‘Oh Darling’ to pay homage to ‘White Album’-era Paul McCartney, the group skips the psychedelia in favor of upbeat, hook-laden love songs cuter than a Zooey Deschanel movie. Don’t look for speaker-busting fuzz, either, despite recording sessions in the band’s Echo Park home studio: Oh Darling’s blast from the past is refreshingly bright and clean, cutting loose from the lo-fi trend of fellow retro locals Best Coast and La Sera.

The details: The group’s latest album, ‘Brave the Sound,’ is due April 26. Oh Darling will join the Robotanists’ free Silverlake Lounge residency with Kissing Cousins on Monday.

The rest: Visit Brand X to download the band’s ‘Happiness.’

-- David Greenwald