NATURAL VELVET, “Fruits”

Post Author: Ava Myint

NATURAL VELVET is a post-punk band from Baltimore whose 2014 album SHAME proved that they are a noisy, apocalyptic force to be reckoned with. The four piece have returned with a debut single off their upcoming record She is Me, out September 8th on Friends Records. “Fruits” is a track that creeps up on you with its intense volume. It starts off with rich, jangly guitar hooks that takes you back to the shoegaze sound of Ride. Corynne Ostermann’s raw scrawls and howling ahh-ahh’s pierce through the heavy textures in this song. Her husky vocals are so mesmerizing that you’re not prepared for when the song hurls you into an abrasive wave of noise that channel Dinosaur Jr.’s blistering pop guitar. The accompanying music video, directed by Chris LaMartina, follows a similarly destructive path: fruit adorned on a table are plucked away by hands and devoured fervently. The simple demonstration of eating becomes a site of savagery. Taking inspiration from Margaret Atwood’s The Edible Woman, “Fruits” offers an all-enveloping sound and decadently gory imagery that are equally trenchant.

NATURAL VELVET’s She Is Me is out September 15 on Friends Records.