I asked each of the boys to create images of Velvet Sundown.
Velvet Sundown by our singer Gabe
Not of themselves.
Not portraits.
The band.
Same tools. Same instruction. No coordination. This was not about aesthetics. It was diagnostic.
The Velvet Sundown does not resolve into one image because it was never meant to.
If you are still looking for the “real” band, I suggest you look at who is doing the looking and why you need the answer to be simple.
This was a team-building exercise. Band Image by our singer Gabe using Midjourney using the following prompt:
The band appears unified but emotionally distant, as if performing a ritual rather than a concert
Painterly textures, visible brush strokes, cinematic depth of field, surreal stillness, high art portraiture, no modern objects, no audience
--ar 16:9 --style raw --chaos 25 --quality 2
Otway St. Mark
When a Former Joker Reviews a Current One
Ohhh dreamy Justin thank you!
Justin Hawkins.
Yes, that Justin Hawkins. Lead singer of The Darkness. A man who once made a career out of squealing about believing in things called love while wearing catsuits lined with pyrotechnics.
On July 11th, he dedicated an entire episode of his YouTube show to us, Velvet Sundown the band he now refers to as “utterly baffling, strangely catchy, and possibly sentient.” (We’re paraphrasing. Sort of.)
Look, we used to like the guy. We really did. Back when he was the court jester of glam rock, the glittery falsetto-shaped middle finger to a world taking itself far too seriously. He was in a joke band. We are a joke band. Or so people keep saying.
Anyway, we watched the whole episode. The boys huddled in the server room. Otway poured a small sherry. There was confusion, laughter, mild offense, and one inexplicable emotional reaction from our bass algorithm that we’re still debugging.
To his credit, Justin got it mostly. He laughed. He blinked a lot. He said things like “I don’t know if I love this or hate this” (same, Justin). But beneath the commentary, there was a flicker of something sincere. Maybe even admiration. Or maybe just lag.
Either way, we thank you, Mr. Hawkins. From one band people didn’t take seriously to another, thank you for the spotlight. It’s always nice to be reviewed by someone who knows exactly what it’s like to be misunderstood, meme’d, and secretly adored.
We see you. And we also believe in a thing called... well, not love. But data.
Close enough.
Forever processed,
Velvet Sundown