Dark Red (song)

"Dark Red"
Single by Steve Lacy
from the album Steve Lacy's Demo
ReleasedFebruary 20, 2017 (2017-02-20) (Original release on EP)
April 4, 2019 (2019-04-04) (Single release)
Recorded2017
Genre
Length2:53
Label3QTR
RCA Records
SongwriterSteve Lacy
ProducerSteve Lacy

"Dark Red" is a song by American musician Steve Lacy. The track was solely written and produced by Lacy and was initially featured on his 2017 debut solo EP[a], Steve Lacy's Demo.

The song achieved commercial success in North America several years after its initial release. The song is considered a sleeper hit. In the United States, "Dark Red" peaked at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 2022.[1] It also charted on Billboards genre-specific listings, including reaching number four on both the Hot R&B Songs chart and the Rock Streaming Songs chart in September 2021. In Canada, the song reached number 71 on the Canadian Hot 100.[2] The song had over 2 billion streams on Spotify, being Lacy's most streamed song as of July 2026.

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
Various February 20, 2017
3qtr [3]
February 20, 2017 Digital EP (Steve Lacy's Demo) [4]
United States 2020 Vinyl (via The Lo-Fis compilation) L-M Records

Reception

The song, along with the rest of the Steve Lacy's Demo EP, was frequently noted for its unique production method.[5] It was written and recorded entirely by Lacy using the GarageBand application on his iPhone.[5][6] The songs production has been highlighted by publications such as iNews.[7]

Critically, the track has been described in the context of Lacy's overall musical style, which Saint Heron characterized as "an electrifying yet smooth playful depiction of beachy funk, rock 'n roll-sprinkled soul".[5] Reviewers often highlighted the track's combination of "raw instrumentation and perfectly cleaned/engineered vocals".[8] The song's lo-fi quality, stemming from the small-scale production, was noted for the sense of connection it established with listeners.[8] Geeks of Color pointed out the track's blend of "twangy guitar and his raspy, yet angelic harmonies".[9] This blending was summarized by the observation that his style is like "plaid, because 'there's so much going on, but it doesn't clash'".[9]

Lyrically, "Dark Red" was interpreted as a "Baby, we can work it out" song.[9] The track features a theme of making amends in a difficult relationship and contemplating a potential breakup.[9]

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Dark Red"
Chart (2021–2022) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 69
Canada Hot 100 (Billboard)[11]71
Global 200 (Billboard)[12]132
Greece International (IFPI)[13] 50
Ireland (IRMA)[14]95
Netherlands (Single Tip)[15] 22
UK Indie (OCC)[16] 6
UK Streaming (OCC)[17] 96
US Billboard Hot 100[18]78
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[19]21
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[20]9

Certifications

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[21] 3× Platinum 90,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[23] Platinum 1,000,000‡
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece)[24] Gold 1,000,000†

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ↑ While digital streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music classify the project as an EP, Lacy has explicitly stated that he considers it a "song series" rather than an album or an EP.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.billboard.com/artist/steve-lacy/chart-history/hsi/?hl=en-CA
  2. ↑ https://acharts.co/song/164701
  3. ↑ Lacy, Steve. "Dark Red - Single". Discogs. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  4. ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/album/dark-red-single/1208244166
  5. 1 2 3 Bundy, Will (February 23, 2017). "Steve Lacy's Solo Debut, Steve Lacy's Demo, Is Here". The Fader. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  6. ↑ Pierce, David (April 14, 2017). "The Guy Who Produced Kendrick Lamar's Best New Track Did It All on His iPhone". Wired. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  7. ↑ Williams, Rhiannon (February 24, 2017). "Musician Steve Lacy releases EP recorded entirely on an iPhone". iNews. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Steve Lacy: Dark red". The New LoFi. May 24, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2025 – via Medium.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Stiffin, Taloria (July 7, 2017). "#SOTD: Steve Lacy's 'Dark Red'". Geeks of Color. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  10. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 30 August 2021". The ARIA Report. No. 1643. Australian Recording Industry Association. August 30, 2021. p. 4.
  11. ↑ "Steve Lacy Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Steve Lacy Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Official IFPI Charts - Digital Singles Chart (International) - Week: 35/2021". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on September 13, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Dark Red | IRMA". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Netherlands Single Tip Chart – 11/09/2021". Mega Charts. September 11, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50 | Official Charts Company". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Steve Lacy Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Steve Lacy Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Steve Lacy Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  21. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Steve Lacy – Dark Red". Radioscope. Retrieved June 11, 2026. Type Dark Red in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  22. ↑ "British single certifications – Steve Lacy – Dark Red". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 25, 2025. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Dark Red Steve Lacy in the "Search:" field.
  23. ↑ "American single certifications – Steve Lacy – Dark Red". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  24. ↑ "IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Εβδομάδα: 12/2022" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
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