London via Cornwall four-piece The Velvet Hands signed of 2022 with a new single ‘Over It Now’. It follows three of the finest anthemic punk anthems in recent times ‘Holiday In My Head’, ‘I Wanna Be There’, and ‘Telephone Love’. All of these will feature on their sophomore album ‘Sucker Punch’ released next February.
The Strokes have always featured heavily the band’s sound and that remains prevalent here. However, their back-and-forth vocals bring The Libertines into play as they begin to splice Pavement’s slacker rock. The dual vocals are edged towards a more universal sense of euphoria than their Albion seniors but the sense lives spontaneity remains.
Lyrically they tread similar paths to many counter-cultural icons and fire shots at the daily 9-5 dross we all endure. With the newfound Malkmus vibes in full swing, they have to search for different ways to impart their venom and it serves them well. It means that the foot isn’t permanently on the accelerator but, when it is, it’s bursting out the stereo like an uppercut of social justice.
Everything they have touched this year has been goldust, it’s almost impossible to see how they don’t produce the breakthrough album of the year in 2023.
*image courtesy of Sonic PR