Album Review: Heavy Machinery

Every once in a while an album comes along that is truly exceptional and Velveteen’s Heavy Machinery, released on Winegum Records, is one such release that deserves your undivided listening attention. Immensely approachable with catchy lyrics and well-structured songs, this ten-track debut has all the hallmarks of an album destined for both local and international recognition.

Starting out with a bit of in-your-face punk rock, Black Hole Above Cincinnati is a good indication that Velveteen isn’t mucking about. Particularly effective is frontman Jai Oakley’s emo vocal style shifting into a delicate falsetto, which suits the music perfectly. Combine this with his considerable guitar-playing prowess and you’ve got all the makings of a spectacular hard-hitting intro track.

The alt energy is highly apparent during Tear Your World Apart, a song peppered with crunchy guitars and complex, highly effective rhythms. The namesake of the album, Heavy Machinery, coalesces all the lovely dynamics already on display into a track worthy of radio airtime. Jai’s fantastic Billy Corgan-like chord structures with the rhythm section digging in during the chorus will give you goosebumps.

Its subject matter might be darker, but Codeine feels uplifting with its up-beat tempo and beautiful arrangement. Essentially a love song, Jai harmonising with his lead vocal towards the end is a particularly effective overdub. Saturday Night In Vegas leads the listener into some blissful detuned warmth, providing another highly original sound. An edgy spoken word style and the break beat ending leads perfectly into the electronic intro of Hypertrophic. After the more complex tracks this song, with its quintessentially New Zealand sound, is an excellent return to the more traditional elements within Heavy Machinery.

Salt Lake City sees Velveteen hitting their stride with energetic dynamics and a sing-along chorus you will want to learn the words to, making it another standout track. The rhythm section and blistering vocals during the second verse building tension and seamlessly reintegrating back into the full power of the song is some next-level stuff.

Perfectly placed towards the end of the album, See You Bruise mellows everything out with a lovely ballad that will calm your nerves nicely. Now completely in control with clever chord choices, Velveteen smashes out Capsize, which then merges seamlessly into the final track Keeping It Away. This song perfectly encapsulates Velveteen’s sound and ends an album that should definitely find its way into your playlist.

There’s a writing aptitude on display throughout Heavy Machinery that’s well in advance of this youthful sounding band’s often angst-driven content. At times Velveteen might overplay slightly, in an Hüsker Dü kind of way, but overall their musicianship across all ten tracks is superb!

Engineered so you know there’s no real trickery involved, just a bit of enhancement where it counts, Velveteen’s cohesive debut Heavy Machinery is a luscious and evocative release, full of highly original ideas and subtle tried-and-true nuances borrowed from some of your favourite artists, both past and present.

Make sure you check out Velveteen’s Heavy Machinery today.