Quiet Tongues – She’s Velvet (2023)
If Queens of the Stone Age were to have a lovechild with Blur, but it was raised by Franz Ferdinand, the chances are it would be Quiet Tongues. Hailing from London, the UK-based quartet bring a fresh blend of indie-rock meets alternative rock with a tinge of indie-pop to the masses. Already reaching our ears with their debut single ‘Ennui’, we are constantly intrigued by the foursome, and we are not the only ones whose heads have been turned. From Joyzine to A&R Factory, Clout, Thoughts Words Actions and various playlists, Quiet Tongues is reaching audiences far beyond their UK borders.
Following their singles ‘This Water Is Wet’ and ‘Ennui’ (both released in 2022), Quiet Tongues enter 2023 with their single ‘She’s Velvet’. A collaborative project with producers Andy Nichol (mixing) and Jon Astley (mastering), ‘She’s Velvet’ is a dazzling fizzle of distorted but all-consuming blast of sound. Unlike their previous material, the new single is more chaotic with a ferocious sense of the unknown. I’m not saying ‘This Water Is Wet’ and ‘Ennui’ are not as intriguing, but a strong aggressiveness breaks through in the new track while retaining a sense of vivacious soothing.
Penned by guitarist and lead vocalist Seth Tonkin, the powerful lyricism can be interpreted in several ways – as in most cases. Either a glimpse at a torrid relationship where the walls throb and there’s silk between their sheets. Perhaps it touches on addiction with the “beautiful blackouts” and “claps of thunder boom around”. Either way, it is an aggressive, frantic almost searing scream of human vulnerability and turmoil.
In an interview with RGM, Quiet Tongues’ drummer Domokos Wootsch shared that his favourite song to play live is ‘She’s Velvet’ – “it’s a non-stop two-and-a-half-minute high energy song…” After the first listen, we can totally understand why ‘She’s Velvet’ would be a fan favourite. The brash guitars, the pounding drums and the obscure vocals, it has a swooshing sense of intoxication. What I find interesting is how the in-studio recording captures the same sense of raw chaos heard at a live show. It’s distortion and punk-inspired mania make the song very real and incites an almost palpable gut-wrenching grittiness.
For more from Quiet Tongues, check out their official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
