Look at that, I'm already receiving personally made CDs just for me.
Okay, mild joke.
FRANK FROM BLUE VELVET started in 2019 as a two-man band with Andrew J. Davies and Ogs (former drummer of Peter and the Test Tube Babies). What followed were a few gigs in pubs in and around Hastings, their hometown. The response was so great that they had to continue. An idea was born and could not be stopped even by the pandemic-related lockdowns. On the contrary. During the pandemic, they continued to work creatively, and as soon as the studios were allowed to reopen, they quickly scheduled a date for their first recordings. The idea grew, and so did the band. By now, the band has expanded to eight members, and their sound has solidified.
After three years, the first album was completed.
A total of eleven songs are on the debut.
The many ideas have shaped the sound of FRANK FROM BLUE VELVET so far, and it is not surprising that no purebred genre beast has found its way into the world, but rather a creature with many different and very interesting characteristics. Each song can stand on its own, and all songs stand together.
What is offered is Americana, dark country, very old rock 'n' roll school, alt-country, as well as folk and a little bit of rock. I must say that this kind of music usually has a hard time with me. Most of the time, it feels too melancholic, too ethereal, or simply leans too much into the country corner.
However, FRANK FROM BLUE VELVET managed to win my heart with the first listen of the album. Dark, dreamy, but also driving sounds are paired with a perfectly singing voice and matching background vocals. The bass plays smoothly, the drums could not be better arranged, along with percussion and longing harmonica. All of this offers a unique and quite dark listening experience.
With their self-titled album, FRANK FROM BLUE VELVET has created a record for dreaming, switching off, and focused listening that still reveals new discoveries even after multiple listens.
This album is one you enjoy listening to again and again.
