- Bryon Harris
Velvet Flare - 'Animal'
Velvet Flare is an alternative rock band hailing from Brisbane, Australia. The quintet features Paul English (songwriter, lead vocals, guitar), Paul Shepard (lead guitar, backing vocals), Patrick Kennedy (keyboards, backing vocals), Graeme Smith (bass), Platon Aposporis (drums) and contributions from audio engineer Slade Gibson. Velvet Flare released their first single “6th of June” in 2016 followed by their second single, “Animal,” which came out earlier this year. “Animal” is the perfect way to introduce yourself to the group's intensity.
"Animal" kicks off with an anthem like solo and distorted chords played on electric guitar accompanied by a steady kick drum beat and bass. The intro continues to build, gaining momentum into the first verse. At the start of the first verse, the vocals gleam through with a nice bright tone. Paul English mesmerizes with a passionate timbre as he effortlessly hits all his marks artistically accenting, pushing and pulling the melody with complete control. Leading up to the chorus, the pre-chorus sucks you in with engaging melodies putting you right where they want you, ready for the hook which will stick with you for days. “Animal” is a stand-out song that will leave you yearning for Velvet Flare's next release.
Velvet Flare uses hauntingly poetic lyrics to convey the message of the song. Starting off they sing, “Your faith is appalling/Consumed by desire/And as you betray a voice in your head, you say/‘Find your place by the fire.,” Then as the instrumentals shift, ramping to the chorus they lay it out, “You know it’s a glamorous scene/You animal, you’re so fucking obscene.” The chorus has a chilling after-effect...it gets under your skin. “There’s a hatred that will haunt you forever/When you die, well that’s for all time/But I can’t see that this will ever be over/A new martyr they’ll find/You’re the bane of mankind.”
With more to come, Velvet Flare is off to a stellar start with the release of “Animal.” As the song's title "Animal" suggests, this group possesses deeply innate musical instincts, an unleashed indie expression and the vocal claws to dig in and lead the pack of emerging alternative bands. Fans can look forward to their debut EP titled 'Archetypes" to be released in June of this year. Until then, visit their Soundcloud page.