Darcie Haven has a knack for turning quiet introspection into indie-pop gut punches.
Raised on a farm in the remote expanse of Western Australia, she first found her voice singing along to Missy Higgins CDs and flicking through Taylor Swift songbooks.
Now, she’s channeling that early inspiration into something uniquely her own—razor-sharp storytelling wrapped in lush, intimate production.
Her latest single, Hounds, is a haunting, slow-burn reflection on anxiety, loneliness, and the small, everyday moments that keep us tethered. It’s as visceral as it is vulnerable, pairing raw lyricism with atmospheric indie-folk textures.
Fans of Phoebe Bridgers and Holly Humberstone will feel right at home—but Haven’s world is entirely her own, built on unfiltered honesty and quiet devastation.
We caught up with Darcie to chat about the making of Hounds, the catharsis of songwriting, and why she’s willing to endure bug bites and cold creeks in the name of her art.
HAPPY: What are you up to today?
DARCIE: I’m at the airport, flying home from Brisbane! I just played a pop up show in a bookstore here. My arms are stacked so high with friendship bracelets from the show I set off three alarms coming through security.
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you’re from, what do you love about it?
DARCIE: I’m from a small town in the corner of WA called Esperance. It’s a coastal, farming town, filled with bright blue beaches and beautiful national parks.
I love that it never changes. It’s been a constant in my life that I can retreat to whenever I’m overwhelmed or over-travelled.
It never fails to re-ground and re-centres me. I love going to corners of my farm I used to haunt when I was 10, and spending time with old family friends.
HAPPY: What are three tracks you currently have on repeat?
DARCIE: ‘RagDoll’ by Dora Jar, ‘A Place You Can Meet Me’ by Carol Ades, and ‘The Prophecy’ by Taylor Swift.
HAPPY: You’ve described ‘Hounds’ as “maybe your favourite song” you’ve ever written. What was the specific moment or experience that sparked the creation of this track?
DARCIE: I wrote it after getting off a long call with one of my closest friends, Kate, who now lives in Canada. She’s a friend I always have very in-depth, emotional conversations with. The song is sort of a conscious stream of thought, relaying the low, lonely way I’d been feeling in the previous few months.
HAPPY: The song explores anxiety in such a detailed, almost visceral way. Was there a particular challenge in translating those internal experiences into lyrics that others could connect with?
DARCIE: I don’t think about anyone hearing my songs when I write them. I write for myself, to process my own emotions and life events. I find the more specifically honest I am about my own situation, the more people resonate with it.
If I reviewed every lyric through the lense of thinking about how others would take it, I’d not only ruin the joy of writing for myself, but I’d probably ruin the song. A lyric like ’but my sister’s in a good mood and we’re finally getting on’ is one like that.
It’s maybe the most personal, specific thing I’ve ever written into a song, but it’s the lyric people are resonating with the most. The more honest and vulnerable I am, the more it gives my listeners permission to be honest and vulnerable back.
And that’s what’s making my bond with the people that listen to my music so special.
HAPPY: The music video features you running through tunnels, creeks, and forests. How did the physical demands of filming mirror the emotional weight of the song itself?
DARCIE: Oh you’re so right – the physical demands of this video perfectly mirrored the anxiety in the song itself!
I had to sit in a cold creek for four hours, run through a forest barefoot and spin myself silly in a tunnel with limited oxygen. So worth it. My director Steph kept yelling “Use the pain! Use it to fuel you!”
HAPPY: Despite ending up with hundreds of bug bites and an injured finger, you said you “loved every second” of filming. What made the experience so fulfilling despite these challenges?
DARCIE: I love working in a team. You get super close with the people you pull two all nighters with, and that’s where the fulfilment comes for me.
Let alone being able to see your vision for the video unfold before your eyes! It’s a very fulfilling creative experience to create visual worlds that match your sonic world.
I feel lucky to have found Steph Senior, who is extremely talented and shares so much of my love of Twilight-esque aesthetics.
HAPPY: You’ve mentioned influences like Missy Higgins and Taylor Swift in your musical development. How do you see their influence reflected in ‘Hounds,’ if at all?
DARCIE: Both of those women are the queens of unfiltered storytelling. In slightly different ways, I’d say they’ve given me the confidence to get as personal as I do in my lyricism.
HAPPY: Are there any other Aussie artists who you draw influence from?
DARCIE: In my opinion, the greatest Australian songwriters right now are Mallrat and Greta Ray. Both of their most recent albums, ‘Light Hit My Face Like A Straight Right’ and ‘Positive Spin’ are of a calibre that I would kill to get somewhat close to, one day.
Not only are they incredible story tellers and language wizards, they are extremely hard working. I take so much influence from their work ethics and songwriting chops.
HAPPY: The song has been compared to the work of Phoebe Bridgers and Holly Humberstone. How do you balance these influences while maintaining your unique voice?
DARCIE: I’m at the point with my producer Edvard Hakansson where we try not to use a lot of references.
We’re deep in building our own world, certainly influenced by artists like that, but something unique to our own tastes and talents (or so I hope).
HAPPY: You’ve recently supported renowned acts like Vance Joy, DMA’s, Birds of Tokyo, San Cisco, and Alex Lahey. How has this affected your creative development?
DARCIE: It’s made me consider how important your live set is as an artist. Listening to how they arrange their setlist, with interludes, stories, and different arrangements, has given me a lot of inspiration for my own live performances.
I want to give my audience something special when they watch me live, just like all those artists do.
HAPPY: And finally, what makes you happy?
DARCIE: Reading a book by the creek.
