Velvet Starlings - 'Bullfight'
The Los Angeles-based outfit that get their inspiration from Oh Sees and those that shred have just released their new single ‘Bullfight’, Velvet Starlings blow the other riffing rock bands out of the water!
Their stomping rockabilly-infused new track is ferocious and powerful, those slick and heavy riffs and foot-stomping drum rolls are delicious and addictive. Velvet Starlings is led by twenty-something Christian Gisborne but his age clearly doesn’t impact the fact that he’s able to level himself with others within the psychedelic rock and punk genre. About ‘Bullfight’ he shares: “It is our off-kilter psychedelic punk epic about bloodsports set to a cacophony of noise by means of flute, theremin and a guitar running through a pedal collection to rival Kevin Shields’ board. The song explores the concept of adrenaline addiction, whether it’s caffeine, moshing, playing FPS video games, spectator sports, or going to a bullfight. The song is filled to the top with samples and I’m very excited to see how many of them are recognized.”
The sound of this sample-filled track falls directly in line with its meaning, hitting the spot of the amount of adrenaline I’d like to receive on a day. ‘Bullfight’ is organised chaos, walking the line between unorganised chaos and a classic, we’ll-play-it-safe rock track. Velvet Starlings surprised me, as I hadn’t yet listened to them properly, and due to their name I assumed I was going to listen to a soft indie rock track. It was a pleasant surprise discovering this stubborn and overwhelmingly powerful track that I am already addicted to.
The video for ‘Bullfight’ was shot by Jared Martin at LA’s iconic DIY venue The Smell, and shows that it's not their sound that’s chaotic. Seeing the band destroy the stage makes me hope for an upcoming UK tour I might be able to attend. Gisborne isn’t just a great songwriter, but also a great bandleader and frontman, and I’m hoping there’s lots more to come from Velvet Starlings!
Words by Laura Rosierse
