Over the past decade, Brooklyn's DIARY have quietly carved out a sound that threads together post-punk urgency, shoegaze atmosphere, jangly indie melodies and psychedelic textures into something distinctly their own. With the release of their debut album Spiral Bound, the band have delivered a record that feels both steeped in beloved influences and refreshingly unpretentious. We caught up with Chris to discuss the band's origins, the creative journey behind the album, navigating New York's ever-evolving independent music scene, and why sometimes the best solution to a setback is simply to write another song.
Let's start at the beginning. When and how did DIARY come together, and what was the spark that convinced you this was more than just another rehearsal-room project?
Kevin and I have been friends for a long time. We went to college together a bajillion years ago and first became friends there, but we didn’t start playing music with each other until we had both been living in New York City for a little while.
The original incarnation of the band came together around 10 years ago when our other separate music projects had either broken up or fizzled out and I think we were just looking to start something new that more aligned with where our tastes were leaning at that time.
It started off with just Kevin, myself, and our buddy Andy and I think right from the jump it felt good. We had all been friends for years, had the same sort of sense of humor, and we had similar ideas for the sonic palette we wanted to pull from in making music together.
Andy decided he was ready to move on from the band about 5 years back, so the lineup and the sound might be a bit different these days, but I think it still feels special for those same reasons as when we started: we get along with the people we play with and we like the music we’re making.
Your sound pulls from post-punk, shoegaze, psychedelia and jangly indie rock. Which artists or albums have had the biggest influence on DIARY, and are there any unexpected inspirations people might not guess?
Oh man. I’m just gonna name a bunch: Ride, The Stone Roses, The Smiths, My Bloody Valentine, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, Dinosaur Jr, all The Flying Nun stuff, The Beatles, and The Byrds, just to name a few!
As far as unexpected inspirations go… I grew up listening to and playing in hardcore bands, but I’m not sure if any of that really manifests itself in Diary. There’s probably little transitions and rhythmic things that I drop here and there that I have in my toolkit from back then.
Brooklyn has a rich musical history, but scenes are always evolving. What's the atmosphere like for independent bands in Brooklyn right now, and where do you feel DIARY fits into that landscape?
The music scene out here is great, but it can also be tricky to navigate. There’s so many talented musicians out here and any night of the week there’s a million things to do, so it’s not always the easiest to cut through. There’s also a ton of little micro scenes within the overarching music scene out here. I guess because we cover a lot of ground stylistically we’ve been able to kind of hop in and out of those little micro scenes easier than some bands.
Your debut album Spiral Bound has a distinctive blend of atmosphere, melody and texture. What was the creative journey behind the record, and what lessons did you learn while making it?
Thanks for saying that! When we started writing for the album we didn’t have an overarching vision or a theme we were going for - we basically just wrote the kind of songs we wanted to hear.
We started working on the record pretty soon after our first EP with Kanine Records (“The Cutting Garden”). Long story short, we ended up doing another EP (“Speedboat”) and a standalone single (Stevie) during that time, and 3 of the songs from those releases were actually originally intended for the full length. It was honestly for the best though because the songs we wrote to fill those gaps on the album ended up as two of the singles (“Keep Comin’ Up” and “Spin the Bottle”) and another one that’s just fun as hell (“Already Dead”).
I think that was the biggest lesson I learned from this whole process: that not everything works out exactly the way you want it to, so just shut up and write more music :)
Now that Spiral Bound is a month old, is there one song that best captures the essence of DIARY at this moment in time, and why does that track feel so representative?
I’m going to say “Keep Comin’ Up” simply because it’s the last song we wrote for the record, it’s the most recent addition to our live set, and I feel like it’s a good example of us playing with different styles in interesting ways.
Every band dreams about the perfect festival bill. If DIARY could curate a three-day event and choose the headliners for each night from any era, who would make the cut and what makes that lineup irresistible?
Ahhh this question is impossible! Any era?? Alive or dead?? Ok, I’ll give it a whirl:
Night 1 Headliner: Post-Punk Supergroup featuring Ian McCulloch on vocals, Robert Smith on vocals and guitar, Johnny Marr on guitar, Peter Hook on bass, and Budgie on drums
Night 2 Headliner: Bowie with guest spots from Marc Bolan, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed
Night 3 Headliner: The Beatles playing Revolver front to back
DIARY are hosting the ultimate dinner party. What's on the menu from starter to dessert, who's invited (living or dead, musicians or otherwise), and why did those guests make the list?
Menu: the appetizer is just a bag of cool ranch Doritos, the main course is pizza, and the dessert is just lots of Kinder chocolate
Invited: David Lynch, Werner Herzog
Why David Lynch and Werner Herzog?: why not
As the dinner party unfolds, what's playing in the background? Give us the soundtrack for the evening and tell us which albums or artists are setting the mood.
Playing in the background: The song from the end of The Shining (“Midnight, the Stars and You”) all night…..
Here at musomuso we take the important questions seriously: what is DIARY's favourite cheese, and exactly how should it be served? Bread, crackers, pickles, chutney, wine pairings, accompaniments, the lot. We need the full gourmet breakdown.
I don’t want to speak for the whole band, but for me, the top cheese is Camembert. A fresh out of the oven baguette + Camembert is all you need. Wine in this situation would be Pinot Noir
For readers discovering DIARY for the very first time through musomuso, what's the one thing you'd like them to know before they press play on Spiral Bound?
You’re in for a treat!
From college friendships that evolved into a decade-long musical partnership to a debut album built on instinct, perseverance and a love of great records, DIARY remain a band driven by authenticity rather than expectation. Whether they're channelling influences from Ride and The Jesus and Mary Chain, imagining impossible festival line-ups, or pairing Camembert with a fresh baguette and Pinot Noir, there's a genuine warmth running through everything they do. As Spiral Bound continues to find new listeners, one thing is clear: DIARY have created a record full of atmosphere, melody and character, and as Chris confidently promises, anyone pressing play is most definitely "in for a treat."
Keep up to date with the musical happenings of the band at the following places
website: Diary.Band
bandcamp: @diarytheband
spotify: Diary
instagram: @diarysounds
tiktok: @diarytheband