Available now on Bandcamp via Brighton Indie label, Shoredive Records, is ‘The Bluest Sunshine’ ep by London Shoegaze band, Velveteen.The ep comprises of four dream-like tunes, awash with wave after wave of psychedelic guitar effects and poppy melodies. Like Loveless-era My Bloody Valentine, the guitars often seemingly phase in and out of reality, providing an ethereal, atmospheric quality. The vocals are sunny, melodic, but heavily and competently entombed in the mix, becoming like instruments in their own right, reminiscent of the sound of 90s Shoegazers, Flying Saucer Attack.
Velveteen know not only how to craft nice, summery, hummable IndiePop tunes, but how to weave Sonic experimentation into their sound without alienating their listeners with needless self-indulgence. The bass and drums are wisely further back in the mix and even when distortion and fuzz is used,
Velveteen’s sound, much like that of 4AD band of yesterday, Unrest, is soft and soothing. Velveteen create a rich, landscape of sound, with a wide pallete of creativity at their disposal, at times using little quirks like an acoustic guitar and tambourine on track 3, ‘Fall Under’, to provide punch, a forward-riding rhythm and pop-sensibility, or on Track 4, ‘Bluest Sunshine’ laid-back Twin-Peaks-Esque keyboards seep in, to create a mellow finale to the ep. Throughout, there’s little sonic nods, deliberate or otherwise to Indie heroes as diverse as Ride, Lush, Cocteau Twins, and even The Frank and Walters. The four tracks ebb, flow, with the guitar and vocal work guiding the listener on an otherworldly, hazy journey full of twists, turns and pop-hooks.
