Toronto’s Velvet Beach have been on an upward trajectory since their debut single release last September. They were honoured to be a part of Exclaim!’s Class of 2023 show back in January and are excited to finally release their debut album The Dream. A culmination of nearly three years of work, The Dream showcases the eclectic mix of dream pop and shoe gaze that has come to define Velvet Beach’s live sound so far.
Of particular note is “Uncertainty,” a driving yet ethereal ballad that pushes the bounds of Velvet Beach’s songwriting so far. Inspired by Kate Bush and “Hounds of Love,” the band wanted to create an homage to her work but that was also distinctively Velvet Beach. The song combines nostalgia, melancholy and the feelings that accompany coping with insecurity.
Stay tuned for future releases, including live recordings of the Class of 2023 show as well as live off the floor recordings of some of the album’s best songs. We caught up with Velvet Beach for an exclusive interview below!
What can you share with readers about your new project?
Matias : Our debut album, the Dream, is the culmination of almost three years of work. Our process was really on experimenting and bringing to life so many of the ideas that we accumulated over the course of the pandemic. We aimed to stay true to many of our influences and combine every member’s style into a cohesive dream pop / shoegazey album.
How does this release compare with your other projects you had in the past?
Matias: For me personally, this album has allowed me to experiment – changing from the indie rock and indie pop that I used to write in my previous project Newcomer, to a dreamy, slower, and melancholic sound. It’s also been a tremendously collaborative experience which I haven’t been used to. It’s been great being able to write organically and from the ground up with my bandmates to create something that combines everybody’s ideas. On previous projects and in much of my previous songwriting I would develop much of my music myself with only occasional input from others.
Meagan: I had the same experience, only working on music alone before this project, working with a band really changed the dynamic of songwriting. It’s really rewarding to hear our different influences come together and make something new.
What about this single makes you most proud?
Meagan: I remember the first time we played Uncertainty live, it was still a fresh song for us and we got really good reception on it. It felt like a song people really got into which felt great considering it was brand new. It then became a pivotal part of the album, the title came from its lyrics and it has a lead line we allude to in our intro song. For me it kinda felt like it pulled everything together for us.
Was there a specific goal you were trying to accomplish with this release?
Meagan: I think the biggest part of this project, being our debut album, was to give people an introduction to us. For me producing the album, it was important for it to be a cohesive body of work to be listened to from beginning to end. We wanted to communicate specific feelings about loneliness and longing, which are focal points in a lot of the songs. Making sure we painted the right picture was a really big part of the process.
What inspires you to create music? What motivates you to keep going?
Su: A big inspiration is the process of capturing a certain feeling or mood. How can we build a soundscape that can both carry these emotions and speak to the listener? How do we write something that both the artist and listener finds compelling, fulfilling? That’s where the fun begins, where I personally maintain interest and motivation in a piece. It’s finding the song in the writing process, finding ourselves in the sounds we gravitate towards, the melodies and lines we keep coming back to.
If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why? If it’s an indie/DIY artist, please include a link so readers can check them out.
Sean: Personally I’d love to collaborate with Alvvays. We all love them so much, and as a fellow Toronto band we’re all really proud to have a band like them local to us. We both identify as Dreampop but have very different sounds, so to collaborate with them and to find a happy medium between our styles would be awesome.
What was the last song you listened to? Favorite all-time bands/artists?
Sean: I was just listening to Strange Things Will Happen by The Radio Dept.! I think the most common crossovers in taste in our band are Beach House (not surprisingly!), The Cure, Alvvays, and Slowdive.
Su: I’ve had Atoms Song by Teebs on repeat for the last little while. I’ve been getting into more atmospheric pieces and Anicca, the album this song opens, has me coming back to it quite often.
Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?
Sean: By coming to our shows and saying hey! We’re all super friendly and keen to meet listeners. But the more realistic answer would be Instagram. We also have a Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok, but Instagram is definitely our most active medium for engagement with fans.
I really appreciate your time. Is there anything you’d like to share before we sign off?
Sean: We appreciate the opportunity to talk to you guys so thank you! I think the only thing we’d want to share is just to follow us online to keep up to date with our show dates! We’re playing a lot this summer, and I’d encourage anyone who comes out to say hey to any of us at a show. Even if you can’t make it out/aren’t local, even listening to our album would mean so much to us! We’re proud of our work and hope you enjoy it.
