When most bands form they plan to play shows, write albums, tour the world and in their own way, “make it”. When Velveteen Echo formed back in 2017, they had more humble plans, they were meant to form for a one-off video project, but thankfully for us, they changed their mind. The Houston-based quartet have gone on to release two EPs, 2018’s Submarine and 2019’s Golden Ring, toured extensively, and are currently working on their debut album with producer Steve Christensen. Today we’re sharing the first glimpse of that record, in the shape of new single, Dark Form.

Like many tracks written this year, Dark Form was formed in somewhat unusual circumstances, the song was pieced together from phone recordings, shared between the members and gradually shaped into a cohesive whole. Recalling the likes of The Duke Spirit or Howling Bells, this is a brooding slice of post-punk, awash with swirling drum rhythms, angular-guitar lines and moody layers of intense vocals.

Thematically, Dark Form is shaped by the world it is born into, as the band explain, the track was written in response to, “the palpable tension growing in the U.S. around the current presidential administration, police violence, and the pandemic”. The band have suggested that the tracks minimal instrumentation and icy textures are representative of the fragile strands of “hope we keep alive under the lengthening shadow of a demagogue’s dark form”. A fascinating first insight into a record that could just be one of the year’s most compelling soundtracks.

Dark Form is out now. Click HERE for more information on Velveteen Echo.