Kevin Bronson on August 16th, 2017

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The revival of the sound of the alternative ’90s permeating the L.A. scene right now — especially by female artists — feels not so much like nostalgia but an identity statement: Be still you pop tarts, you Ableton junkies, you purveyors of producer-driven R&B. Velvet, the new band fronted by singer-songwriter Emily Gold, is the latest to check in loud and proud. Velvet’s first official single “How Do You Know” appears with guitars blazing, embracing the sweet/sour, loud/soft dynamic of the flannel-shirted past. Velvet has plenty of turn-it-to-11 sonic bedfellows in the neighborhood, of course, from the dreamy (Psychic Love) to grungey (Ramonda Hammer, SLUGS) to the droney (Iress) to the post-punk (Spare Parts for Broken Hearts) to the Sonic Youthful (Alyeska) to the goth (Draemings). There are many others whose music will test your car speakers, rattle your windows and deliver no small amount of catharsis as you negotiate traffic in Echo Park. For her part, Gold was well on her way down this sonic road with a solo album and EP she released; the first song of her new endeavor, produced by Neil Wogensen (Valley Queen), features Max Ratzky on lead guitar, Zach Bilson on bass and Salvatore Romano on drums. It’s the first single from a four-song EP, “Nice to Meat You,” that Velvet will release early next year. Let it roar.

||| Stream: “How Do You Know”

||| Live: Velvet performs at Echo Park Rising’s Play Like a Girl stage at the Lost Room on Aug. 20, along with the Aquadolls, Iress, Spare Parts for Broken Hearts, SLUGS and more. Velvet also plays 4th Street Vine in Long Beach on Sept. 2.