In that time, they've been signed to one of the great indie labels, played sold-out shows in Germany and Sweden, wowed the crowds at the Indietracks and Swn festivals, toured the UK and recorded an album. They've received airplay on BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 music and XFM, and had glowing reviews in places such as the Metro, The Fly and The Guardian, the latter calling their Henry Rollins Don't Dance single on WeePOP! Records "the best indiepop song for years".
Their first single for Fortuna Pop!, The Polaroid Song, was released in December 2009. That song made it into the Drowned in Sound Top 50 Singles of the Year, and garnered them further great reviews. "I'm sort of scared at how brilliant Allo Darlin' are, and could be. Disarming and self-effacing they might be, but when they smack you square on the nose with a pop song so instantly loveable as The Polaroid Song it makes my jaw drop in awe." (A Layer of Chips blog)
Their debut album Allo Darlin' was released in June 2010, and another single Dreaming was preceded this in March. The album was recorded at Soup with producer Simon Trought, underneath the Duke of Uke shop in Brick Lane.
The band amicably disbanded in 2016.
The Polaroid Song
Allo Darlin' Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The one you took with an instant Polaroid?
I didn't know that you had it
I didn't know you could get that film anymore
We both looked so happy
Like it was 1973
The color faded like my memory
You said you'd been stockpiling
All the film that you can find
Before it all starts expiring
And then there won't be Polaroid anymore
Will we still look happy
When we're not super-overexposed?
Will we still look happy
When we're wearing our normal clothes?
Feel like dancing on my own
To a record that I do not own
In a place I've never seen before
The Polaroid Song by Allo Darlin' is a nostalgia-filled ode to a Polaroid photo that the singer stumbles upon that takes them back to a vivid memory. The singer speaks about the photo with a sense of personal attachment and how it captures a time when they were happy. The use of Polaroid film specifically is a nod to the instant gratification that comes from capturing a moment and preserving it in such a tangible way.
The lyrics are also filled with bittersweet undertones, as the reality that Polaroid film is scarce and will eventually run out sets in. The singer speaks about a friend who has been stockpiling the film in preparation for the day when it is no longer available. In a sense, the song is about the inevitability of change and how the past can feel so tangible but is ultimately fleeting.
The final verse about dancing on their own to a record they do not own in a place they have never seen before speaks to the desire to escape into one's own world and experience new things on their own terms. The song as a whole captures a sense of wistfulness and longing for a simpler time.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you remember that photo,
Do you recall that snapshot of us?
The one you took with an instant Polaroid?
The one you captured with a Polaroid instant camera?
I didn't know that you had it
I had no knowledge that you possessed it
I didn't know you could get that film anymore
I didn't realize that you could still obtain that type of film
We both looked so happy
The two of us appeared so content
Like it was 1973
Similar to it being early seventies
The color faded like my memory
The colors faded, similar to my imperfect memories
And not so long ago
Not such a long time has passed since then
You said you'd been stockpiling
You mentioned accumulating
All the film that you can find
All the film you can acquire
Before it all starts expiring
Before it begins to expire
And then there won't be Polaroid anymore
And then there will be no more Polaroid products
Will we still look happy
Will we still appear content
When we're not super-overexposed?
When we're not very bright or brilliantly lit
Will we still look happy
Will we still be content
When we're wearing our normal clothes?
When we're in our regular attire
Feel like dancing on my own
I feel like dancing alone
To a record that I do not own
To a recording that I don't possess
In a place I've never seen before
In a location I've never been to
Contributed by Daniel V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.