The Velvet Hands – Telephone Love (2022)
When the term post-punk came into play, nobody bothered to explain what that genre or style includes. If by that it meant a move from the so-called hardcore punk of the late 70s branching out into different directions, hanging onto high energy, prominent guitars, and some catchy melodies with heavy doses of the white light/white heat era Velvet Underground, then quite a few artists deserve to be called post-punk. The Strokes, Parquet Courts, and quite a few others would definitely qualify, but then so would London-via-Cornwall four-piece THE VELVET HANDS and they definitely prove the point with their latest single ‘Telephone Love’ (taken from their upcoming album Sucker Punch).
The quartet comprises Toby Mitchell, Dan Able, Louis Mitchell, and Sam Hilder, who, whether they are inspired by the originals like The Clash or the above-mentioned The Strokes or Parquet Courts, come up with some, well, sucker punch guitar riffs and melodies to match on this single ‘Telephone Love’. Recorded at The Cube Studios in Perranporth and mixed at The Cave Studios in Par, the track comes as another notch in the band’s ever-growing list of stellar singles.
As they explain, “‘Telephone Love” is about being stuck in a loop you can’t get out of. It’s the moment that you realise you may no longer be in control. It’s also the moment that you realise you don’t care if you’re not. Inspired musically by ‘80s new wave and ‘00s indie, we wanted to make the chorus sound like a party and the verse to sound like the morning after” – and yes, it definitely sounds like the morning after when you need a “pick me up” and match all the rush and whatever else was included from the night before.
With ‘Telephone Love,’ The Velvet Hands promise that their upcoming February album and matching concert tour will be quite a blast.
For more from THE VELVET HANDS, check out their official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
