Channeling the grooviness and psychedelia of the 60s, Southern California based band Velvet Starlings capture the sentiments of that nostalgic summer of love with their single “Colours on the Canvas.” Off their recently released debut album, Technicolour Shakedown, the single shows off the band’s softer side while keeping them firmly cemented in their retro tinged sound. And, with a new music video for the single, the band takes us further into the past with simple, sunkissed visuals.
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Conjuring the essence of a dreamlike reality, the band’s new single is tinged with psychedelic rock elements — strumming double acoustic guitars, a subtly funky bass line, lush keys and some sick instrumental interludes all woven together by abstract and introspective lyrics. As opposed to their usual fast paced licks, exemplified in some of their earlier singles off their new album, “Colours on the Canvas” takes on a mellower approach to their fuzzy garage sound, and slows things down so as to bask in all the warm emotions projected throughout the single.
Focusing on the cyclical nature of existence and all the colors that make up our lives, Velvet Starlings commune with al the elements around them, feeling that unexplainable connection as we all are illuminated and nurtured by the sun as we go through seasonal and life changes. With lyrics are romantic, metaphorical and descriptive, the single’s themes are sublimated into a kaleidoscope of sound.
“One of my favorite moments on the Technicolour Shakedown album is the track “Colours on The Canvas,”” notes the band’s lead singer Christian Gisborne. “I dig the 60s musical soundscape we created on this. The entire song is an exercise in Donovan-esque colourful poetry, a description of living life in technicolour, and the ever-changing seasons and tides that we all experience”
Velvet Starlings’ new music video for “Coulors on the Canvas” hones a simple aesthetic. Visuals include the band walking around places in Los Angeles, most notably in Echo Park and around Echo Park Lake, and playing their instruments.
Consisting of bandmates Gisborne (vocals, guitar, organ), Foster Poling (Drums) and Hudson Poling (bass), the trio distills key elements of 60s rock in a holistic and skilled way, cementing themselves as a standout among a new wave of psychedelic garage bands percolating in Southern California.
Words: Patti Sanchez
For more on Velvet Starlings, make sure to visit their website and follow them on Instagram and Twitter.
