At the beginning of every year, many radio stations and music publications gather a list of acts they predict will make waves on the coming year's music scene. The duo that made just about every list for 2013 are new Dublin band, Darling.  With a sound reminiscent to Muse and The Stereophonics, and 'Echoes' of The Killers, the Darling lads are one of the most hotly tipped acts for the year. Playing music together for the last six years, Gary Harding and James McGuire made plans in early 2013 to carve out a career for themselves after their previous band fell apart, and in just 12 short months they've sell-out gigs and an EP under their belt. Darling, the effeminate name chosen by lads is not representative of their musical sound or genre.   Since the release of the self-titled EP, the group have appeared on MTV's new music website MTViggy.com, and also featured in influential American magazine, Nylon. The writing process came secondary to the friends as they've "been in each others pockets for a long time". 'Sail Away', the latest track from their debut album is noted by the pair as a "turning point".  Gary explains that the second single, "addresses a bigger theme",  opening different avenues to their music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBptIXWZ3vQ Two introductory videos on the Darling website show two young friends, enjoying life, after several months of intense studio work pays off. (We do appreciate the lads' idea of "vacation"). After working in West London with renowned pop producer, Stephen Lipson, they pair returned home to a sell-out night in the Whelan’s upstair room, and now Darling are back in Dublin for their headline gig in Academy 2. Tickets for their Academy 2 gig on the 7th February can be purchased from Ticketmaster.ie and MCD.ie. If you're like us, and you can't wait that long, the lads latest single and entire EP can be bought here on iTunes. For more info on the lads check out Darlingmusic.ie, or follow all updates on band’s official Facebook page, Twitter and Tumblr. Until next week we’ll leave you with our favourite Darling performance, a live version of the band's debut hit single, 'Echoes'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qb53B99XX8 If you have a favourite Irish band or act that you think should be featured as #HerIrishArtistOfTheWeek email Grace at grace.oreilly@her.ie, or get in touch with us on Facebook or Twitter.