The Velvet Hands - Sucker Punch (Jam X/Blood
Records)
Release Date: Out Now
If you haven't had the pleasure of experiencing the Velvet Hands yet then it's about time you threw on your best shirt and sprayed on your best musk because the boys are ready for you. The Cornish quartet's second album, 'Sucker Punch', gets off to a rollicking, indie-rock infused start with opening track '40 Up 40 Down' which reeks of days in the sun with your mates and a one-way ticket to a good night out. 'Telephone Love' keeps the party going with a Strokes inspired intro and a Libertines-esque romp before recent single 'Holiday in my Head' shows off the band's songwriting chops with a song that tackles deeper issues than the gang-of-mates sound might suggest.
The dirty garage rock of 'Emotion' is intoxicating as the band weave their sound through the city streets at night fueled by furious drums, swaggering guitars and breathless vocals. Things slow down on 'Over It Now' as the too-cool-for-school guitars are paired with a call and response vocal before settling in to a dreamy chorus that has an almost 60s sound to it. Album title track 'Sucker Punch' comes roaring back, however, with another powerful and bouncing riff that will have indie clubs all around the country bouncing up and down with equal parts aggression and glee. Meanwhile, 'Meet Me In The City' has a chest beating, 90s Madchester vibe that is weirdly full of nostalgia for a time that these lads are too young to have experienced.
'Is There Anybody Out There?' is the first of the closing trio of tracks with a popping indie bass line to die for and the kind of energy that makes you want to order a double at the bar. On 'I Wanna Be There' the band underpin their reputation as one of the rising indie bands on the UK scene before closing out with 'Devil's Tail', the moodiest track on the album that builds with a Doors-esque sense of atmosphere before exploding with barely controlled chaos at the end. The Velvet Hands will be all over the place this summer if there's any sense in the world but the main thing is that, big or small, they know how to get a venue whipped up and that's a beautiful, beautiful thing.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/thevelvethands
Live Dates:
22nd February - The Lexington, London