Drawing inspiration from the timeless classics of rock and luxe fashion, singer/songwriter, Miss Velvet, has just shared her new single, ”Pistols at Dawn.” Accompanied by a video directed by Gus Black (Greta Van Fleet, Phoebe Bridgers, Teddy Swims), the track is the final release from her new EP, Triptych, out now through the artist’s own Mother Ride Records via The Orchard/Sony. Check it out below.
Stream Triptych here: https://open.spotify.com/album/1IRH9NaKcP8hclcavVaqbn
Miss Velvet on the track, ““Pistols at Dawn” is a Morricone-tinted, out-West-flavored sonic landscape, blending elements of a Spanish flamenco-style acoustic guitar. Like in a classical piece of music, it features something called an ostinato—a repeated melodic phrase, much like in opera. At its core, “Pistols at Dawn” is a story of deep betrayal by a beloved friend and the moment of facing one’s enemy head-on.”
“Pistols at Dawn” is a fierce and powerful anthem about release and betrayal that asks the question – What would it look like to face both your own emotions and the person who wronged you? Shot deep in the Mojave Desert, the final track leading up to Triptych‘s release is an epically cinematic showcase of Miss Velvet’s power.
Having toured the world twice with George Clinton—who called her voice “the definition of rock ’n’ roll”—and following the success of her previous singles “Hallelujah” and “Strut” which showcased her evolution as an artist and storyteller, “Pistols at Dawn” sees Miss Velvet continuing to push creative boundaries.
In a recent conversation with Jeremy Hinks on his podcast, Sticky Jazz, Hinks described the transcendent star power of Miss Velvet. He explained, “Miss Velvet is one of those “andro” artists, like Grace Jones, Prince, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, and Pink. She has this incredible divine goddess spirit to her, and also pulling through some powerful masculinity, like you would expect a goddess to do.”
Miss Velvet has also garnered significant international recognition with features on European MTV. With over 150k followers on Instagram, her single “Hallelujah” has also been embraced by mom influencers, fueling a growing and organic campaign. These accomplishments further solidify her rising status as an artist to watch.
Triptych tracklisting:
01 Prelude
02 Pistols at Dawn
03 Interlude II
04 Strut
05 Interlude III
06 Hallelujah
07 Coda
More from Miss Velvet:
On her fearlessly ambitious new release, Triptych, Miss Velvet fully realizes the grand vision of a lifetime, presenting profoundly soulful rock and gorgeous fashionista fantasy as swaggering, escapist empowerment. The thematic three-song collection, connected by choral sees, is accompanied by a stunning 14-minute cinematic film.
“Triptych is me trusting my gut one hundred percent, leaving ego at the door and stepping wholeheartedly into the unknown,” said Miss Velvet. “It’s having the freedom, power and respect of walking in uncomfortable territory with a fantastical dignity.”
Raised in New York, where her mother had a production company, Miss Velvet literally grew up around operas and Broadway shows, witnessing both sides of the curtain up close as she did her homework backstage. This fueled a fascination for transforming the everyday into ornate artistic interpretations, which extended to her staging improvised theatre performances during grade school recess. By age 10, she was presenting The Sound of Music for her classmates, acting as creative director and bringing in costumes – the roots of a lifelong immersion in fashion which permeates her music and visuals today.
When she lost her father at age 13, Miss Velvet discovered the astonishing voice that’s been the throbbing heart of her adult career: a primordial Plant/Joplin/Tyler emoting that channeled and released a grief beyond words – an inner scream that we all carry but few can utter. “It felt wild and uncontrollable, kind of scary,” she recalled. “My mother and I were, like, it’s got to be channeled, it’s got to be controlled!”
What followed was training at the revered Interlochen Center for the Arts and with top vocal coaches in Italy and France. “In the beginning, people in the industry and classical world said, y’know, ‘she looks a certain way – blonde, blue eyes, skinny –, she needs to sound a certain way. That voice is not appropriate’,” Miss Velvet continued. “But I learned how to channel that voice and use it in a really incredible way.”
On the strength of a snippet of her singing Janis Joplin’s “Summertime,” acclaimed musician/ producer Nick Littlemore (Empire of the Sun, Cirque Du Soleil) invited Miss Velvet to L.A. for seven weeks of writing and recording. With Littlemore, an artist who likewise thrives inside whimsical creations, the Miss Velvet character was born. Back in New York, her funk-rock band Miss Velvet and the Blue Wolf built a following and landed two world tours, over 150 shows, opening for George Clinton.
But then came the pandemic, marriage, and motherhood. In 2021, Miss Velvet found herself effectively starting over in L.A., heartbroken over her band’s breakup, raising an infant daughter, and navigating a postpartum identity crisis. “There was a six-month period when I was like, Who am I? Who is Miss Velvet?” These questions found answers upon meeting songwriter/producer Esjay Jones (Billy Corgan, Dave Navarro), her co-writer, producer, bandmate and creative confidant ever since. Together, they crafted Miss Velvet’s 2023 debut solo album, Traveler, a freewheeling road trip of a record credited with rejuvenating classic rock and exposing that voice – a force-of-nature fusing of wounded beast and cultured artist – to a wider audience.
If Traveler began to blur the lines between Miss Velvet’s roles as rock star, artistic adventurer, celebrity fashionista, and now young mother of two, Triptych’s enormous evolution all but erases them. It was recorded mostly at Matt Sorum’s GoodNoise Studios in Palm Springs, with the surrounding desert as daily inspiration; mixed by Kevin “Thrasher” Gruft (Gwen Stefani, Machine Gun Kelly) and Esjay Jones in LA; and mastered by Grammy winner Ted Jensen (The Eagles, Rolling Stones, Santana) in NYC. Triptych sharp-focuses Miss Velvet’s singular identity as a goddess-voiced beacon of liberation and self-love, leading by example in embracing beauty and fantasy as empowering coping mechanisms.
Written in the wake of betrayal by a beloved friend, Triptych traces the arc of Miss Velvet facing her fears and foe (Western-flavored opening track “Pistols at Dawn”), authentically owning the situation (assertive first single, “Strut”), and ultimately finding resolution and, still, love (the organic ascension of “Hallelujah”). It connects elegant, Heart– and Hendrix-flecked hard rock with choral interludes informed by opera and Middle Eastern music, the choir coaxing and supporting Miss Velvet through her journey and introducing its chapters.
Miss Velvet approaches performing, on stage and screen, as she does walking the red carpet as an international tastemaker at Fashion Week events in Paris, Milan, or New York – with impeccable style, instinctive class, and singular poise.
“No matter what craziness happened in life, I always have music and family, and when I step into the stage persona of Miss Velvet, maybe it’s like a painter picking up a brush, or a dancer making a new dance – my music and style is just my creative spirit that I’m able to unleash,” she concluded. “Nothing to lose because it’s my Miss Velvet who brings shape and sound to the emotions of my life! She’s authentically me; she is what’s at my core and she is ever evolving.”
The Triptych film ends like a mirage, with Miss Velvet walking alone towards her the next chapter of an already intriguing, multi-tiered story.
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