Local Band Velvet Daydream Drops the Perfect Summer Single

Music fans know summer doesn’t officially begin until that first new groove of the season. Beyond the last days of school, Memorial Day parades, pool openings and barbecues, summertime is captured in those songs that remind us to relax, unwind, ease back and embrace the halcyon days of our youth. Of course, party songs, whimsical melodies and rock anthems can all become the song of the summer. But as temperatures rise in Denver this year, classic-rock fans with an ear for harmonies dripping in sunshine and relaxation need look no further than “Sunflower Sky,” the new single from local band Velvet Daydream.

“Sunflower Sky” dropped the first week of May, and the standalone single follows up the band’s self-titled debut LP, released last October. The new acoustic-sounding rock melody with a psychedelic vibe is enveloped in warm nostalgic feelings that pull up summer memories, and the story behind the song is as sweet as the sound. Heading east to Nebraska last summer on Interstate 76 to record demos for the first album, the band was struck by a calm pastoral image outside. Within the only car on an open road, the bandmates found themselves surrounded by fields of sunflowers, and guitarist Kaeden Keys felt himself “wanting to capture that image into something people can hear.”
While the song wasn’t ready for last fall's album release, it embodies the soul of a band at the dawn of a career. Beginning with an easygoing rhythm guitar, “Sunflower Sky” evokes the pensive reflection of the Allman Brothers’ “Melissa,” and as the song builds, bassist Jude Pfanstiel describes the sound as “our attempt to channel a lot of studio Fleetwood Mac and Beatles sounds into something more symphonic.” The rich layering of sound as the song hits the first chorus at the 1:30 mark captures that ambition with beautifully integrated harmonies growing, in Pfanstiel’s words, into “something beyond a pop song, something that gives a grandiose feeling.” The guitar riff and bass interlude with rising horns and trumpets fill out the sound, which Pfanstiel says “just felt very summer to me.”

Thematically, the song unfolds like an abstract painting, as lyricist Ryder King played off a comment from Pfanstiel about “plastic clouds before my window.” King, the band's vocalist and guitarist, enjoys writing lyrics that allow listeners to create their own narrative, noting how sometimes words just sound beautiful together. Pfanstiel admits that “'plastic clouds' does have a meaning, but explaining it would take away your ability to interpret the song for yourself.”

Much like modernist-imagist poets tried to capture a moment in time, helping the reader feel as the artist did, King suggests, “The intent for writing the song is that I felt people should have the chance to experience the feeling that we had felt, because it was a profound one.” And the song definitely evokes a serene field of sunflowers under the summer sun, along a highway on the plains of Nebraska as a carload of good friends journey home to work on their art.
The talented young musicians are bringing back classic rock with a fresh new voice, and the richly textured arrangement of “Sunflower Sky” is a testament to their songwriting chops. With a healthy respect for the classic-rock tradition, the song strolls along like its lyrics about “the sun’s soul radiating through my very being.” Recorded in Boulder at Far & Away Studios, where the band completed its debut LP, the tune's retro vibe makes it perfect for the closing credits of a great summer road movie. In fact, as the band’s voices cascade over each other, harmonizing the lines “sunflower sky, don’t say goodbye,” you can visualize the final image of the film Almost Famous, with Stillwater’s tour bus heading off into the sunset under a “Sunflower Sky.”

Velvet Daydream will return to the studio this summer to write and record, continuing to develop its sound. Describing the band’s songwriting and recording process, Keys cites a notable quote from neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat: "Art is how we decorate space, and music is how we decorate time.” Drawing from the jazz backgrounds of both Nick Schwartz (drums/piano/vocals) and Pfanstiel, the band put extensive time into mixing and overdubs, seeking the depth and layered texture that defined the classic ’60s rock sound of the era’s most iconic bands.

As Pfanstiel explains, “The first album was on the velvet side, with all the royalty and the rock and roll — and now, as we get more cohesive, we want to pursue more of the daydream.” The new single is a great step toward that vibe, and a warm introduction to an impressive new band.

Velvet Daydream plays the Black Buzzard at Oskar Blues, 1624 Market Street, 8 p.m. Thursday, June 13; tickets are $15.