On new album Longest Day of the Year, Dari Bay is a perpetually shifting art project posing as songs, an ongoing thought experiment disguised as a band. Burlington, Vermont-based artist Zachary James launched Dari Bay as a solo vehicle in 2015, acting as sole songwriter, producer, player of every instrument, and exacting architect of how each sound was placed. Early output was raw and often unhinged, but Longest Day of the Year finds Dari Bay assuming a new form as James folds his experimental spirit into what at first appear to be neutral, unassuming tunes. Growing up in a family with a rich history in the fringes of sound and performance, James got an early start in music, touring and recording as early as 12 years old. He branched out in multiple directions from there, getting into producing for other artists and dabbling in everything from DJ-ing to noisy improv. Forming Dari Bay served as a means to explore a more individualized part of his musical identity, something separate from the various collaborative projects he was involved with. James began writing highly conceptual songs about nature, magic, the supernatural, and other ephemeral weirdness that whirred by in the form of minute-long blasts of futuristic lo-fi psych-pop. Longest Day of the Year isn’t so much a departure from the surreality of earlier material as an evolution. The lyrics here start to reflect more of James’ lived experiences than obtuse concepts, and while the arrangements can seem more streamlined at first blush, these ten songs use straightforward guitar rock adornment as a means to dress up an inherent strangeness that’s at the core of the project.&nbsp; Laszlo and the Hidden Strength is an art rock band from New York. A fixture in the city’s club circuit, they have played concerts with Arto Lindsay &amp; Melvin Gibbs, LUCY, Strange Ranger, Kiwi Jr., and Musique Chienne, among others. Their second full-length album, <a href="https://songwhip.com/laszloandthehiddenstrength/strange-victory" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Strange Victory</a>, was released in January, 2023. <a href="https://songwhip.com/laszloandthehiddenstrength/strange-victory" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Strange Victory</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/laszloandthehiddenstrength/?hl=en" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Instagram</a><a href="https://linktr.ee/laszloandthehiddenstrength" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Linktree</a>