The Velveteens – “Loneliness” (Stereogum Premiere)
The Velveteens’ take on lo-fi ’60s pop is all-encompassing: they can do the carefree, sunny side as evidenced by “Chico,” they’ve got a good hold on sultry courtesy of “Mama,” and “Loneliness” lets the band show off their gloomy side. It’s another stunner from the Minneapolis trio’s upcoming debut album Sun’s Up and it’s pretty intoxicating, a slow-burn of a track that manages to get under your skin. The song has a mournful, death-march-like quality to it: it starts off with “You had it once and now it’s gone,” which transforms into a rhythmic chant of “and now you’ve gone” by the track’s end. The Velveteens paint with shades of black and white, but what they’re creating comes across vividly: the desire expressed in “Loneliness” is palpable. Listen.
Sun’s Up is out 12/2 via MJMJ Records on tape and The Old Blackberry Way on vinyl.