Like many other artists, Velvet Starlings found themselves surprisingly busy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than letting isolation get in the way of creating new music or even filming videos like their recently released clip for the aptly titled, “There’s Nobody There”, the Los Angeles-based band found themselves busy writing and recording what would come to be their debut full-length album, Tehnicolour Shakedown, which released last year. Showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, the band was already hard at work on their sophomore effort even while creating Tehnicolour Shakedown, and with more new music on the horizon, we caught up with them to discuss the album and their plans for the future.
Just last month, the band released their video for “There’s Nobody There”, filmed in the height of the pandemic with just an iPhone and a tripod in the middle of the night. Watch the video and read more about the band’s plans for the future now below.
Prelude Press: A little over a year ago, you guys released your debut full-length album, Technicolour Shakedown! Now that it has been out for a while and you’ve had some time to reflect on it and (finally) play it live, what are some of your favorite things about the album?
Velvet Starlings: Well a little backstory about the album, we actually finished our second album before the recording Technicolour Shakedown. we wanted to put out the other one but it meant putting it out during covid where we couldn’t play the tracks live or anything. It was sort of born out of the covid era and wanting to get back to concerts and music again.
You’ve all literally grown up while playing music together, so how do you feel you’ve grown or evolved with Technicolour Shakedown? Did you learn anything about yourselves while working on the album?
Yes! It’s funny how much you learn from making mistakes and looking back at those mistakes. Technicolour Shakedown was unapologetically mistake-filled, almost intentionally, maybe so we could look back and be like… ha guess we’ve gotten better haha. All joking aside, I definitely plan to change a lot of my recording techniques but at the same time, I learned what DOES work for us as well.
With it being your debut full-length, did you have any goals in mind when you first started working on the album? Was there anything you knew you wanted to accomplish with it?
A big goal was to have a record that didn’t sound anything like the second album, which wasn’t too hard because we recorded with all of the same gear on every song, so everything flows together pretty nicely. It’s a very cohesive record.
What was the most rewarding or exciting part of working on the album?
We’ve recorded before in studios and come out the other end going, “woah, that’s sick” but this was our first time taking the reins and running the console so it was really a rewarding experience to hear songs that were recorded in my living room come to life on the airwaves and in public places.
Last month, you released the music video for “There’s Nobody There” from the album, which was shot in the height of the pandemic. What challenges did you have to overcome when working on the video?
Well, we overcame the challenge of not being able to see each other during pandemic times by simply not having anyone in the recording process but me. I took my tripod and my iPhone out to an abandoned freeway arch and just started playing the song in the middle of the night. There was quite literally, nobody there…
Can you tell us a little bit about the song? What was your mindset while working on it?
The track itself is probably the darkest both in melody and its sentiment, on the entire album. The song refers to a relationship with an unknown person and how they’ve lost their connection over time, but I think we really drew a lot of inspiration from the times we were living in and the fact that just about every in-person event had been canceled worldwide and even family weren’t able to see each other for a whole year.
Obviously, a lot has changed since you wrote “There’s Nobody There” and even since you released Technicolour Shakedown – you’ve been able to play live and have a handful of UK tour dates coming up! What has it been like to finally get back on stage?
It’s been amazing! Half of these songs are just straight up about the joy of going to and playing shows/and all the crazy stuff people get up to at them, so it was really a full circle experience to be able to play these songs live.
What are you most excited about in the next few months? Any specific shows?
We have the Isle of Wight festival in England in June, which we’re mega stoked for. As well as North Beach Boogie in San Clemente, CA when we get back with some of our favorite bands like Allah-Las, Meatbodies and Sun Room.
Do you have any other big plans for 2022?
Our biggest plan for 2022 is the release of the long awaited Velvet Starlings sophomore effort. We’re so excited for the world to finally hear it.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for interviewing us! We love you!
And if you’re reading this… you rock!
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