London newcomers Velvetine debut with Lynchian single 'Curtainsong'.

lloydbolton52

Feb 3

Emblematic of the quintet's gothic shoegaze sound, the track introduces us to their haunting beauty.

Photo: Sacha Renaud | Words: Alexandra Dominica

Look no further than the darkest corner of the room for this enigmatic quintet. With their sphinxian verse and bewitching presence, Velvetine are fast becoming one of the most magnetic alt-rock bands on the London underground music circuit. Taking inspiration from Nick Cave, the master of psychosexual southern gothic, and the new age ethereal shoegaze of Wolf Alice, Velvetine now take their first step into the light with debut single, 'Curtainsong'.

Menacing, sibylline and sophisticated, the song is a poignant, in-depth illustration of the experience of disassociation. The metaphor of someone watching a film at a theatre communicates the psychological experience of sitting within oneself watching life pass. It makes fiendishly clever use of a beguiling trope. Life is a series of moving pictures and not all of them are an easy watch. As Mia Scarlet chimes with her siren song: "I must hide myself to not be alone / I must seek for myself to get it done". Conjuring a feeling and experience we all know well; we are all actors in a performance. For the only time when you aren't acting, is when you are alone in your bedroom, staring at the ceiling. As a very wise and famous man once said, "all the world's a stage… and one man in his time plays many parts".

As screeching guitars build towards a smooth and sizzling crescendo, a disenchanted enchantress whispers that she sits in the front row, while the object of desire sits in the last. The curtains close and she takes flight from the scene, indifferent to the theatrics of life that she deems a "freak show". This is an all too familiar scene, with the latest of generations deemed as the loneliest in living memory. In this context, 'Curtainsong' feels like a Lynchian creation designed to elicit questions from the audience, but not necessarily answer them. Though rife with Delphic melancholia, this debut is yet more proof that dark times make for devastatingly good art.

'Curtainsong' is out February 3rd with their first ever release party happening on 19th February at The George Tavern.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0EH5kRO9K9NfG0lRcZfTCY?si=a5603671889942a9

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