Image via Velvets/Bandcamp
Velvets
Sami Mustonen and Sakke Vänttinen met in the Finnish rock band Rokets, and their diverse musical backgrounds include heavy metal, hardcore and country. The duo decided to form Velvets in January 2021 and worked fast in order to release this self-titled disc in late September. Each of the eight songs here—influenced by everyone from ZZ Top to The Cure to Thin Lizzy —sounds different. Some could have been pulled from the ‘70s (“Honey Velvets”), while others seemingly rise out of the ‘80s (“Loved By You”), the ‘90s (“Never Let You Go”) or last week (“Delusion”). No wonder the press materials for this way-too-brief album — not even 28 minutes long!—call it “an endless summer night dipped in a bucket of rock, blues, schlager and funk, with a cool breeze coming at you from the south.” Throw in some power-pop influences and an unexpected heartland vibe, and you’ve got a snappy record that should be played loud with the windows down.
