NYC-based indie pop-rock artist D.K. Lyons just released his new EP "Darling Kiss Louder."
What bands are currently inspiring the music you’re making?
I feel like my core favorite artists like The 1975, Tom Petty, and Third Eye Blind always find ways to influence my work, but this recent EP took inspiration from artists like Hole, Jason Isbell, Frank Ocean, Bleachers, and Milk. I feel like I’m always trying to consume as much different music as possible because I find inspiration from so many unlikely places.
What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
My songs almost always utilize metaphor to convey a question I’m asking or an emotion I’m feeling. They usually center around the major themes of love, loss, fear, hope, and the like. I feel like I’ve never outgrown any of these ideas dating back to when I started writing as a kid, they just come through whatever lens of the current age I happen to be at the time of the writing. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve really become comfortable with using fictional characters and narratives to convey those emotions rather than needing to be autobiographical with each song.
You just released your new EP “Darling Kiss Louder.” What was the inspiration behind the EP? Is it focused around any specific topics or concepts?
The entire EP was written during a somewhat dark chapter in my life. I was feeling a little hopeless and cynical when it came to my love life, my passions, the world as a whole, and I really started to question a lot through these different lenses. At its core, the EP is asking if love is possible in 2025, and whether that be romantic love, love for your passions, or love for yourself. By the end I’ve kind of arrived to the answer of yes, love is the point of life and worth pursuing at all costs.
Are there any themes that connect the songs on the tracklist?
This EP was so interesting for me because I started with “loveseeking” as a way to learn how to self-produce, and one day I got the idea to write out a whole sentence with that word in the middle, chop up that sentence into song titles, and then write against each of those song titles. Even though it seems like a very academic exercise, something I had never really done with writing before, the songs flowed so naturally from that and within a matter of weeks I had the bones for the whole EP. And from there I just knew I wanted to commit myself to these songs and this structure and the rest is history.
For this project, you chose to honor a number of female music stars in your music videos. How did you choose those artists? How do they inspire you artistically?
It’s not really a competition at all. Women artists defined music in 2024 (and continue to do so in 2025). Once I had the idea that I was going to honor a different woman artist with each music video, the pieces really fit into place quickly with the artists I wanted to take inspiration from. The music, the visuals, the attitude, everything about these artists embodies what makes music so pure and human and I wanted to do my part in celebrating that through my own lens.
We’ve already seen videos inspired by Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter. Who’s next?
We’ve got a very cheeky take on Ariana Grande’s “We Can’t Be Friends” video in the works right now that I’m so excited for. And beyond that, the hope is to do ones honoring Charli XCX, Doechii, Olivia Rodrigo, and Billie Eilish.
How do Dante’s “Divine Comedy” and the seven deadly sins come into play?
I read Inferno last summer and was really inspired by the story and learning more about its inception. It’s an oversimplified blanket statement, but the Dark Ages were named as such because of religious suppression and the stuntedness of the arts, which was followed directly by the Renaissance, which saw the pendulum shift and an incredible era of art that will last forever.
It feels like with AI, social media, and capitalism as a whole having chokeholds on our lives that we’re in a dark age right now, and my hope is that there’s a renaissance on the horizon. So to play into this, I decided to see if I could match a deadly sin to each song on the EP, and the fit was pretty easy. And the goal is to put each deadly sin through the lens of modern love and question the merits and pitfalls of these “sins.”
You celebrated this release with a show in NYC. Can you give us a recap of how the night went? Why did you choose an MTV Unplugged-style performance?
It was such a special night full of such special people. Long story short, our friend runs events at this rooftop event space that he was gracious enough to let us take over. The weather was gorgeous, we had about 40 people turn out for the show, and we played our first ever “unplugged” set featuring most of the new EP, some fun covers, and a lot of crowd pleasing classics.
The vibes were great and it was fun being able to play a show where I could tell more stories and dig deeper into the songs vs. our typical rock show where it’s all about energy, dancing, etc. We did some really fun and kitschy bits (we’re known for this) but I felt like it was the most emotionally vulnerable that I’ve been able to get with an audience to date after playing dozens of NYC shows.
How did you prepare for the show?
This was a unique show for us as we normally do a big pop rock set that really is meant to energize the crowd and get everyone dancing, so I wanted to make sure we still engaged with the crowd but in a more intimate acoustic setting. So it was a fun challenge to translate these songs into that form with my amazing band. And of course I love doing funny bits and a more intimate show allows for more of that, so that was one of the best parts as well.
How has living in NYC influenced your music?
Living in NYC has molded me in ways I couldn’t describe. As a child, I was not a city person and actually loathed NYC being from Boston and being such a die hard Red Sox fan. But New York has awoken so much of me that I didn’t know I possessed. It’s expanded every horizon and taught me so much, so naturally I feel like a lot of the energy, romanticism, loneliness, and hope of NYC comes through in my music.
If you could recommend one song that people should listen to from “Darling Kiss Louder,” which one would it be?
If you’re looking for energy, humor, and a steamy story, I think “stop” is just such pure unadulterated energy it’s hard to not choose that one. But if you’re looking to burrow into your feels and experience the warm blanket of my amazing band members’ harmony vocals, “cause baby, that’s life.” is probably my favorite representation of my songwriting on the EP.
What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?
There are so many to choose from but it feels like every show we play, we just get better and better and have even better audience responses. Live shows are so stressful to prep for, but getting to experience those visceral moments with other people is such a rush and I’m so honored people come out to see us and cheer so hard for us.
What can fans expect next from D.K. Lyons?
I’m a Type A person so of course I have 10 new ideas for what’s coming next. There’s new music videos coming, a remix idea I’ve been working on, and a companion EP to Darling Kiss Louder that I hope will start to really take shape this fall and winter. So expect the usual: a lot.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for having me! I hope people take a listen to my new EP, watch my music videos, and pursue their loves and passions to the ends of the universe