After introducing themselves with their stunning initial offerings 'Youth', 'Home (Is It True?)', and 'Arm's Length' in recent months, Toronto-based outfit Velvet Beach are now looking to cement their legacy to date with the release of their spellbinding debut album 'The Dream'.
Channelling a wonderfully rich and sweeping alt-pop aesthetic throughout, 'The Dream' makes for a beautifully rousing listen. Filled with warm and effervescent textures, a sweeping atmosphere, and tender tones from start to finish, they are establishing themselves as one of the more alluring names on the rise right now.
So with the new album available to stream now, we sat down with guitarist Sean Stover to find out more about his origins and what has been inspiring him recently.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
I’m primarily a guitarist right now, but I first wanted to be a drummer! My parents talked me out of it and into guitar, likely because they didn’t want drums in the house. It took some time to fully latch onto guitar, and music for that matter, but I think it really started clicking with me when I was about 12.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I grew up on classic rock primarily. A lot of Led Zeppelin, Rush, Pink Floyd, Guns N’ Roses, The Who, etc. That was mostly my parents' influence. When I started discovering my own music I started digging into more punk and metal. Important early bands for me were Rise Against, Billy Talent, and Avenged Sevenfold. Then I went through a huge Modest Mouse and indie phase, then a math rock phase. Somehow that hodgepodge ended me up with where I am now!
What was the first album you remember owning?
It’s so hard to remember what the first was, but it was either Modest Mouse’s Good News For People Who Love Bad News or Rise Against’s Siren Song of the Counter Culture. I do know my first vinyl was Mogwai’s Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will. The Modest Mouse album would put me down a road that would eventually end up in me being a fan of groups like Beach House and The Radio Dept., both of which influence my work in Velvet Beach pretty heavily.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Tough question! I’m torn between “Heaven on Fire” by The Radio Dept. and “Like Eating Glass” by Bloc Party. Both these songs just feed me so much energy and I wish I would love to capture that same conveyance. I’d like to think we’ve achieved that in some of our songs on The Dream, or at least the people dancing and moving in the crowd during live shows leads me to believe that’s the case.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Usually I like to throw on a couple tracks I’ve been finding inspirational as of late and listen or jam along. As a band we usually write off a small idea that someone had and then expand on it as a group. We’re lucky we have a lot of creative trust with each other to allow us to do collaborative writing sessions like that. Our third single off The Dream, “Arm’s Length”, actually started with me messing around with the beginning of Metallica’s Sanitarium, and then us building ideas around that as a group. I’ve always considered it to sound the most like our band as a whole.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Besides the formerly mentioned bands I’ve been listening to a lot of Madison Cunningham’s new album and have been loving it. What a guitarist she is! Also been digging into the new album by Via Luna. Other recent listenings have been Big Thief, Pool Kids, Julian Lage, Men I Trust, and Alex G.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Beach House by a mile.. Definitely our leading influence, so it would make the most sense for us to play alongside them.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
I think sharing your art through performances, both formal and casual, is the most rewarding part. Both the performer and listener both get to share in the experience. A good performance can help transport someone somewhere, and that moment can be transcendental given the right circumstance. Also, as musicians, we spend a lot of time honing our craft alone in private, and band rehearsals as well. To have those moments where you’re able to share what you’ve worked so hard to achieve is special to us too.
And what is the most frustrating part?
I think the most frustrating part is toxicity and selfishness in art spaces. Whether it be someone you’re playing with letting their ego get in the way of serving the project, or even a rude sound tech at a show! Art creates vulnerable spaces that are, ideally, cooperative/supportive. To try to share that space with people who are only there for themselves and are willing to step over you can be frustrating. Music isn’t a competition. We’re all trying to grow individually and communally which can only be achieved by supporting each other. Support your local scene!
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Your goal should always be to make your bandmates sound better. If everyone in the band is thinking about how they’re influencing each other it creates a more present and cohesive band. If you’re not listening to your own playing and the band around you things will quickly become disjunct. The most important thing you can do as a musician is to listen. To quote Wynton Marsalis, “Music is always for the listener, but the first listener is always the musician”.
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Velvet Beach's debut album 'The Dream' is available to stream now. Listen to it in the player below.