THE VELVET HANDS

TO RELEASE SECOND ALBUM:

‘SUCKER PUNCH’

– OUT 3 FEB 2023, VIA JAMX / BLOOD RECORDS –

Rising London-via-Cornwall four-piece THE VELVET HANDS will release new album ‘Sucker Punch’, on 3 February 2023 (with a special vinyl edition planned for release on Blood Records).

Delivering coming-of-age tales with slacker-rock sensibilities, the new record combines the punchy guitar licks of The Strokes or Parquet Courts with rousing punk choruses that recall The Clash or The Vaccines. 

Written by Toby Mitchell and Dan Able, the album was recorded between late 2021 and early 2022 by John Logan at The Cube Studios in Cornwall and was produced and mixed by John Logan and JamX Jules at Par Studios. Featuring earlier singles including the new-wave tinged “Telephone Love”, rousing live-ready anthem “I Wanna Be There” and the pure escapism of “Holiday In My Head” — a blistering track that grapples with “the doldrums of being skint” — the record also includes an array of previously unheard material.

From “Meet Me In The City”, one of the album’s oldest tracks that’s “made to be played in the sunshine with your mates” to anti-apathy anthem “Emotion” and “Devils Tail”, “an ode to letting yourself loose”, the album expertly blends jagged guitar-rock with engaging anecdotal songs about relationships, revelry and finding optimism in dark times. 

Speaking about the upcoming album, Dan Able of The Velvet Hands says:

“Sucker Punch is an album about frustrations, anxieties, and finding optimism in modern society. Each track was relentlessly rehearsed so that we could get into a live room and slam down each track as efficiently and powerfully as possible – this was our first time in a ‘professional’ studio, so we didn’t have the money to waste any time. Every snare roll and bass line is meticulously worked on for maximum effect. 

These were also songs we wanted to make sense live, which is partially why we recorded them so, a yearning for the interaction of the live a set; from the anxious energy of ‘Holiday In My Head’ to the blithe singalong of ‘Meet Me In The City’ this album is brimming with songs for our fans to express themselves to – We hope you enjoy”

Mastered by the legendary John Cornfield (The Stone Roses, Supergrass, Muse), the ten-track LP will be released digitally via Jam X Recordings on 3 February. A limited edition physical release, including two bonus tracks, will also be available through Blood Records following the release. 

The full tracklisting is as follows:

(SUCKER PUNCH ARTWORK)

SUCKER PUNCH’ TRACKLIST

Telephone Love, Holiday In My Head, Emotion, Over It Now, Sucker Punch, Meet Me In The City, Anybody Out There, I Wanna Be There, Devils Tail

BLOOD RECORDS LIMITED EDITION VINYL

 BONUS TRACKS: This Feeling, Fallout

The Velvet Hands are Toby Mitchell, Dan Able, Louis Mitchell and Sam Hilder. After forming amidst Cornwall’s blistering garage-rock scene, the four-piece relocated to London and have been making a name for themselves on the capital’s underground guitar circuit ever since.

Praised as being “full of bolshy spirit” by NME, the band’s self-recorded debut album was Huw Stephens’ Album Of The Week on Radio 1. Their recent releases have also caused a stir with  range of tastemaker blogs including Fred Perry Subculture, Gigslutz and God Is In The TV, with the latter praising them as “brash garage punk rabble-rousers somewhere between the attitude of early Cribs or Libertines with the death and glory of The Clash.” Recent single “I Wanna Be There” was also awarded Track of the Week by The Rodeo Magazine, who said: “we wanna be wherever The Velvet Hands are because this new song is IT.” 

Gaining airplay on Radio X, BBC 6 Music and BBC Introducing amongst others, the band have also supported the likes of Fontaines D.C., VANT, Wallows, Frank Turner and Paul Weller, opened for Liam Gallagher at The Eden Project and headlined stages at the Isle of Wight and Y Not? Festivals.

Fresh off the back of a triumphant festival run this summer, including a homecoming show at Cornwall’s Boardmasters, The Velvet Hands also put in an impressive performance at the Pilton Party Auditions Final, where Michael Eavis hand-picked them to support at this year’s instalment of the infamous Pilton Party. 

Fresh off the back of a run of UK live dates this November, the band will be hitting the road again early next year to celebrate ‘Sucker Punch’. As well as an album release show at the band’s local venue Old Bakery Studios in Truro as part of Independent Venue Week, the band will also be embarking on a full UK tour. Including a show at The Junction in Plymouth and their biggest headline date so far at London’s The Lexington, stay tuned for further details soon.

THE VELVET HANDS – LIVE DATES

FEBRUARY

Feb 3rd – The Junction – Plymouth

Feb 4th – Old Bakery Studios – Truro

Feb 22nd – The Lexington – London

Tickets are on sale here:

https://www.thevelvethands.co.uk

THE VELVET HANDS

NEW ALBUM – ‘SUCKER PUNCH’ – OUT 3 FEBRUARY 2023

LISTEN TO THE NEW TRACK: “OVER IT NOW”

HERE

FOR MORE INFORMATION

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