New York City's The Velvicks Release Hard-Hitting Track "Lockdown NYC"
/New York-based band The Velvicks recently released their single “LDNYC (Lockdown NYC)” amid the lockdowns that have swept the nation due to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past couple of months. The song is a hard-hitting, garage punk tribute to the heroes of the pandemic and to the band’s experience in lockdown. I chatted with Vick Nader, the bands lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist, about the song and its unique production. The band is made up of bassist Apoena, guitarist Vinny, and drummer ED.
The Velvicks originated in Brazil, but found themselves in the colorful Brooklyn music scene when they were scouted by a booking agent at a party and show they threw in their drummer ED’s basement. At the time, the band didn’t have any songs released, but that didn’t stop their impressive debut at the iconic Irving Plaza in New York City. After two years of playing gigs in New York City and a tour on the West Coast, the band found themselves in the studio recording hit singles, including “Hit Me Like Sugar” which has already amassed over 100k streams on Spotify; an impressive feat considering that the song was released in early March of this year.
When talking about the song, Nader emphasized that the band never met in person during the jam and production of the track. With the band being in different places and in lockdown, you can imagine that jamming over Zoom might create a different atmosphere than jamming in person, but Nadar says that the band enjoyed being able to play together even when they were apart.
“LDNYC” is a typical underground punk-style anthem, one with distorted effects on the guitar and vocals, and loud, crashing drums. The lyrics, “lockdown New York City” ring true in a song centered around the CORD-19 pandemic, where we’ve all been stuck inside due to mandatory lockdown. When asked about his favorite lyric, Nader chuckled and noted that he threw in a lyric about how spring hadn’t sprung because we were all in our houses and couldn’t enjoy the beautiful weather.
The Velvicks are dropping their debut album RUN July 24th, and they are a band to have on your radar. With inspirations stemming from Pink Floyd, The Black Keys, and Radiohead, the band is rising fast and deserves to be in rotation on your playlists.
Keep up with The Velvicks on Spotify and Apple Music and be sure to follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. If you want to catch up with the band over social media, Nader hosts a weekly Instagram live Thursdays on the band’s Instagram page.
All photos, videos, and embedded tracks per the artists featured and those credited. This feature was edited for brevity and clarity by BolderBeat.