On August 25 LA’s Velvet Starlings will release their new album Pacific Standard Time. The band was created and is led by 20-year old multi-instrumentalist prodigy Christian Gisborne and the album marks the debut of a newer, sharper iteration of Velvet Starlings. The 10 tracks represent a musically vast gut-punch – a swell of unusual samples, melodic left-turns, and devastatingly incisive lyricism. Today they share the last tease of the LP before the album drops, the psychedelic garage epic “Turning Point.” The song is steadfastly anchored by Doors-esque Ray Manzerek style organ riff, showcasing a Velvet Starlings that is still rooted in the past. Lyrically the single rides a double meaning, chronicling a shift in a romantic relationship even as it espouses a clear-eyed message about climate change. Gisborne notes, “At the time I wrote it, I was thinking about climate change – we’re at a point where we could either start trying to fix it now and if we don’t, it could be too late. Or you could look at it like you’re in a relationship that’s on the rocks.”

Key to Velvet Starlings is Christian’s own sense of fandom: he’s been going to gigs from a young age, and has met many of his closest friends (and even bandmates) lining up for shows. Now, he’s an omnivorous consumer of all genres, waxing lyrical about Ty Segall and King Gizzard as passionately as he does 100 gecs and Charli XCX. The only common link between the kinds of artists that Christian loves is hard work, dedication, passion, and keen attention to the way that genre classifications are a starting point, rather than gospel. Through his own fandom, Christian found an entirely new way of thinking about music, as well as a community to surround himself with. Naturally, live performance has also been key to Velvet Starlings’ rise: the band has played iconic LA venues like the Troubadour, Lodge Room and The Echo; showcased at SXSW; toured the UK multiple times and played at festivals including Summerfest, Beachlife and Isle of Wight. 

Photo Courtesy: Sebastian Keefe