Topshelf Records and Sonoma County, CA-based indie-rock band The Velvet Teen are pleased to reveal the second song from the band’s forthcoming album, All Is Illusory (pre-order). Titled “Eclipses,” the track, which premiered yesterday on NPR Music, is a swirling and punchy power-pop song clocking in under three minutes that follows the release of the band’s previous single, “The Giving In” (stream at SPIN.com). Being released on Tuesday, June 30, All Is Illusory marks the band’s fourth album and is the long-awaited and elegant follow-up to 2006’s Cum Laude! that was recorded and co-produced by Steve Choi (Rx Bandits, Peace’d Out) and Roger Camero (No Motiv, Peace’d Out). From its gorgeous, dizzying electronics to its harder, angular, ’90s-leaning flourishes of grunge, indie and emo, All Is Illusory is a welcome return for a band whose varied influences are still very much intact after its short silence. Check out a stream of “Eclipses” over at NPR Music HERE.
Since its inception in late 1999, The Velvet Teen have traveled the world and challenged the very concept of genre with its eclectic and at times schizophrenic appeal. From the early EPs which showed prowess in the pop realm, to the dynamic indie jangle of its Chris Walla (Death Cab For Cutie)-produced debut, Out of the Fierce Parade, to the romantic strings and quietly political lyrics of Elysium, to the sexually charged whip-it beats of Cum Laude! and No Star EP, The Velvet Teen truly has a talent for seducing the masses into a cult-like state, before promptly leaving the faithless with nothing but a Kool-Aid aftertaste. The believers, however, will vouch that the experience is well worth the risk.
The Velvet Teen officially made its touring debut on a brief Icelandic run shortly after its formation, finding founding member Judah Nagler accompanied by electronic arrangements programmed on a portable sequencer. After returning home, Nagler teamed up with former bandmate Logan Whitehurst, and together they recorded the first EP under the moniker. Josh Staples soon joined the group, and the trio recorded a wealth of material while touring North America, Canada and Japan until late 2004 when Whitehurst was diagnosed with brain cancer. Whitehurst would sadly pass from the disease in 2006. Casey Deitz filled in for Whitehurst and later joined the group permanently to help extend the band’s reach to Europe and record Cum Laude! (2006).
The present day finds The Velvet Teen signed to the San Diego, CA-based powerhouse independent label Topshelf Records (Braid, The Jazz June) and preparing for the release of All Is Illusory, its newest material that is a culmination of its history and a body of work that represents where its members currently are, creatively. With the forthcoming album slated for release, The Velvet Teen will be touring North America in support of it throughout 2015. Tour dates below with more to follow.
JULY
17 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
18 – Portland, OR – Project Pabst Festival
19 – Missoula, MT – Stage 112
20 – Billings, MT – The Pub Station
21 – Fargo, ND – The Aquarium
23 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall
24 – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
25 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
