Dark Day

The Profile

Dark Day is the minimal-synth/post-punk project formed in New York in 1979 by Robin Lee Crutchfield after leaving DNA. Known for the stark Exterminating Angel and the more accessible Window, the project later moved toward airier minimal synth textures on Darkest Before Dawn.

Founded by Robin Lee Crutchfield (ex-DNA) in New York’s No Wave milieu. Exterminating Angel was released in 1980 on Lust/Unlust and featured contributions from Phil Kline, Barry Friar, and Steven Brown (Tuxedomoon). The album’s title nods to Luis Buñuel’s El Ángel Exterminador and its cover references Man Ray.

Three reviews chart Dark Day’s path from the haunted minimalism of Exterminating Angel to the airier minimal-synth of Darkest Before Dawn, with Window as a more accessible waypoint. The pieces stress Robin Crutchfield’s DNA/No Wave roots, stark electronics, and bleak storytelling. Overall tone is appreciative and inquisitive.