Bands in these parts rarely name-check musicians like Chris Isaak and Concrete Blonde. But these artists were a key inspiration for vocalist Jamie Myers (Hammers of Misfortune) and guitarist Kevin Hufnagel’s (Dysrhythmia, Gorguts, Vaura) new project Veldune. It’s spellbinding music. Myer’s voice soars in a new genre and Hufnagel’s effortless guitar mastery weaves worlds. Fans of darkwave and goth will appreciate Veldune.
We’re premiering the first song, “Chasing Down The Sun,” from their self-titled debut via video today. The album (CD and digital) is due September 2 from Nightfloat Recordings. Check the video out below.
Veldune formed in 2019 after the dissolution of Sabbath Assembly. Anyone who followed that band – especially the later arc of their recordings – won’t be surprised by Veldune’s direction as much as bummed that they didn’t go all in on this sound a bit earlier. The band includes bassist Johnny DeBlase (also formerly of Sabbath Assembly) and drummer Jeff Eber (Dysrhythmia). Colin Marston produced the album in fall 2021.
Behind The Track:
Jamie Myers: When we began to culminate ideas for this music, I told Kevin to imagine a cinematic version of our younger selves cruising down back roads. I wanted him to envision us barreling down black asphalt, wind in our hair, high as a fucking kite, teetering along the edge of the road, and sanity, while the soundtrack of our youth played through the speakers. “If that were our band, what would it sound like?” I asked him, “I want to sound like that.”
The second song we worked on, “Chasing Down the Sun,” just hit differently, or maybe it hit just right. I got really emotional when he sent me the first demo. It was just the skeleton of a song, but I instantly knew how to flesh it out. It was as if I had dreamt every twist and turn of its form. Those bones spoke to me, and all I had to do was whisper to them in order to bring them to life. His initial melody brought me to a familiar place of longing, somewhere along the horizon, where salvation is just out of reach.
Kevin Hufnagel: “Chasing Down the Sun” was one of the first songs Jamie and I collaborated on for what was to become Veldune and definitely set the tone for the rest of the material to follow. Jamie’s heartfelt lyrics and voice really brought this to life for me and the rest of the material was written rather quickly in a flood of inspiration. Guitar-wise, I was aiming to play in a way that’s almost not like myself or what people might expect from me. We still need to be surprised to stay interested in our work. It makes me excited about where we can go next.
