EP: “Last Night at The Paradise Lost” by Velour

Signed to the appropriately titled Gloom Records, Velour are a 2-piece Synth/Pop band from Bournemouth UK, consisting of Brandon Moss (Vocals) and Joe Grist (Synths). Since the duo formed in 2021 they have continued to grow, always creating new sounds and forever pushing stage presence. Their main influences come the likes of O.M.D., Drab Majesty, White Lies and M83

This month the band release their 2nd five track EP, which is a follow-up to their debut live offering “An Evening with Velour”; they have also released a string of five singles up until this point. The EP is titled ‘Last Night at The Paradise Lost’ and contains five tracks. The band recorded the tracks themselves and it was mixed by Darren Lawson and mastered by music legend Pete Maher.

Joe explains “the EP had a very DIY approach and was entirely self-recorded by me & Brandon. We usually have a process where I write the music and the lyrics and Brandon provides vocal melodies and any necessary changes to the structure of the songs, but with this EP our approach was much different. For the first time as a band we wrote together; with Brandon providing all the lyrics to “1409”, as well as helping with the composition of “Paradise Lost” and “Lilith”. The latter, Lilith was written in ten minutes; with Brandon composing the lead synth hook and me creating the basslines and the rhythm section. With “Cloudboy” and “Don’t Give Your Heart Away”, I’d say that was our first conscious decision to write music that is unapologetically Synth/Pop with a capital P; but still with a dreamy approach to the production that we both love. The title track “Paradise Lost” is a strange one; it originates from a song that I’d written years ago, at that time it was just Brandon singing solo in the style of Ultravox and after a while we scrapped it. However, we did a few re-writes and decided to revisit it and it became both more ethereal and well-paced”.

The base demo tracks were all recorded by Joe in his bedroom, and the band quickly switched to Brandon’s bedroom to record the vocal takes in his old wardrobe, which was surprisingly effective both technically and cost-wise. They reached out to Charles Cave from the band White Lies and the directed  us in the direction of Darren Lawson, who was incredibly accommodating to them. There was a lot of back and forth between themselves and Darren, but the band feel that he absolutely nailed that sound that they were hoping to achieve. With it taking a lot of pressure off them, as Joe usually self-produces most of their releases; so Darren’s help was vital in getting the production just right. The EP artwork that you can see below was also designed by Joe, and it alludes to the lyrics in “Don’t Give Your Heart Away” where it speaks of navigating a metaphorical labyrinth in the mind.

Velour have clearly worked hard to craft a sound that is unique to themselves, their trademark gloomy aesthetic. The EP opens with “1409”, a slow building intro with gentle synth and rhythmic patterning before the full melodies take hold and heavier rhythms kick in. Brandon’s dark emotive vocal sweeps in with him singing boldly and passionately, as he has displayed in his previous bands Greyside and Marble Tides – he has an impressive vocal range.

“Cloudboy” has an eighties-style synth landscape, and it would not have been out on place on some of the movie soundtracks of the time. If you think of the likes of Yazoo, Pet Shop Boys, OMD and Erasure’s styles, you come somewhere close to the sort of sound the band are creating. Joe’s programming and creative abilities with his synthesiser bring some wonderful textures to provide the background instrumental for the vocals to be sung over.

“Lilith” has an altogether darker emotive sound with its tight, warm drum machine beat with the sweeping atmospheric synths; the vocals are complimented by some nice background harmonies. In folklore and religion “Lilith” is the first wife of Adam, she is also described as wife of Lucifer, queen of hell and Queenship of the Demons. The subject matter gives the track a mysterious gothic feel, especially with this intriguing subject matter.

“Don’t Give Your Heart Away” is an altogether lighter, dreamier affair with its bright poppier synths and Brandon’s vocal is let loose and just floods with an emotional delivery; the uplifting chorus beautifully infects your grey matter with its intent. The impressive lyrics possibly provide one of the band’s best creations to date with a track that could easily find itself with radio airplay on any Rock or Alternative station.

The final track of this collection is “Paradise Lost” and brings this collection to a fitting end with definite pulsating flow, a slower track that meanders thoughtfully with Brandon duetting with Zozëy. Brandon and Joe first met the singer at a gig they played at HMV in Basingstoke and duly fell in love with their voice. The track received an overhall from an original demo with the band realising how well the track would work as a duet. It adds a different dimension to proceedings and the singer’s both complement each other really well.

A really well put together collection of tracks that shows Velour to be positively blossoming with some clever ideas, still keeping within their original conceptualisation of the band.

Track-Listing
1409
Cloudboy
Lilith
Don’t Give Your Heart Away
Paradise Lost (featuring Zozëy)

Velour are…
Brandon Moss – Vocals
Joe Grist – Synths

Links
https://velour.band
https://www.facebook.com/velouruk
https://linktr.ee/velouruk

Article by David Chinery (Chinners).