With fervent lyricism backed by lugubrious productions, VELVETEARS allures listeners with her first release of the year, 3 Ghosts. Featuring euphonious beats by close collaborators such as Kellbender, WTCHCRFT, a0rta, Taylor Morgan, and Martensite, VELV’s vocals melt with each and every song, providing a 9 track, 23 minute introspective journey.
Opening the album, “Imma Lie” (prod. Kellbender) dives right into the thoughts that VELV has kept to herself. With obvious pain in her voice VELVETEARS reveals “It’s back and forth how much I need it, yeah, my drugs are so conceited, they convince me that I’m nothing without them.” Expressing her struggles with anxiety and drug use, this track is only a prelude of what the rest of the album has to bring.
Third track “Trapped in Your Hell” (prod. a0rta) haunts listeners each time they hear it. The apparent brokenness and hurt can be heard as VELV sings, “Because of you, I’m scared of every fucking thing.” The combination of a melancholic production and memories of pain brought upon by an old lover showcase and deliver the raw emotions that VELVETEARS’s experiences have caused her to feel.
Directed again at an old lover, “You Hurt Me” (prod. Taylor Morgan) recalls the feelings of heartbreak and loneliness. Comparing herself to a flower, VELV makes known her sense of incompetence;
I’m picking flowers on the ground and wondering if anyone would pick me // I’m wilted with colors faded down // I’m useless and left on the street
“Layed Up” is the final track on the album; bringing a noticeably different atmosphere in terms of production, it stands out from the rest of the album without straying away from the concept of the album as a whole. Co-produced by Taylor Morgan and WTCHCRFT, “Layed Up” concludes the album on what feels like a new note; “No, this doesn’t mean a thing besides that I’m not giving up.”
When asked about the process of making the album, VELVETEARS shares that, “The story behind the album name is super personal. Besides my closest friends, no one knew I was making this project. It was definitely something I had to do for me, and no one else. It was like all my darkest feelings of 2018 being left there — it was like getting a big weight off my heart.”
VELVETEARS truly put her heart into this album and it shows. All 9 tracks are full with an immense amount of emotion that can be felt in each and every word. The eerily enticing lyricism put forth on this project is nearly unforgettable and leaves us highly anticipating whatever comes next from the talented vocalist.