Telephone Love

The Velvet Hands

Single Review

Written by Luke Knowles

Take that East Coast Indie sound, couple it with a rough layer of New Wave and Garage Rock then drag them both through the mirkier side of Londons streets and your left with the sly smile and grit tinged sound of Telephone Love by The Velvet Hands. Known for their effortless and explosive songs that oozes British underground TVH have carved themselves out a chunk of the grass roots scene and don’t seem ready to let it go anytime soon. After announcing the release of their latest album ‘Sucker Punch’ for February 2023 the Cornish raised and Cockney polished four piece dropped this little teaser to get peoples ears itching for the Tsunami to come.

Much like previous release TVH have built on their succinct ability to create guitar lines that reach into your core and pull imagery out of their lyrics that stays plastered to your imagination. The opening few seconds are enough to catch your attention and in my case take me back to the sticky floors of indie bars and the sense that your about to hear an anthem that deserves to be yelled at the top of your voice. The simple use of the one note riff to build the song into the composition proper really snaps your focus into the song and then the punchy drums and rolling baseline lift you along the song as the sharp guitar line pushes you forwards. Its at this point that the tell tale vocal kicks in and the song begins to get interesting.

For me this track is split into two parts. Its verses and its (anthem worthy) chorus. Now I know what you thinking, ‘Luke, all songs are split into verses and choruses’, yes they are but not too many use them to create a dynamic contrast that hooks its teeth deep into the meaning of the song. Throughout the track we are given the image of someone trapped by their own life. Not in a tearful way but more in a going around the houses kind of way. Whether trapped in the endless late night scroll on the phone, referenced in the opening line of the track, or simply locked into a routine that lacks any spark. However, rather than try to break out of this endless loop this song leans into the loop and embraces every aspect of it. 

The verses that explore this theme openly really feel like they are smiling at you but that kind of ‘I’ve embraced the chaos’ kind of smile. Its then the chorus that explodes outwards with an acceptance and almost joyous element of clawing back control. Hopefully that has made sense. It’s this dynamic contrast though that really makes the song stick with you and make you want to listen to it again and then just one more time after that. With each listen I catch a different lines clarity or hear a slight inclination in the music that I missed before and the song just continues to layer itself and all the while that manic smile from the shadows of the track gets wider and wider.

Overall as a taste of the album to come The Velvet Hands have definitely got my attention and peaked my interest to what their remaining tracks will explore. If you like your music with a touch of grits and a lyrical flare then this band are one to have in your library. Telephone Love is a fantastic track and throws more fuel on the burning ambitions of this rising band.

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