Single Review: Slipping Through My Hands with Black Velvet Butterfly

The first thing which struck me about this single, even before I listened to it, is that the artwork is such a strange shape, but given that many of these are only released digitally these days there is no actual reason they need to be square at all, and I really like it! What we have here is the most recent collaboration from Trevor Faville of DateMonthYear who this time is working with fellow multi-instrumentalist James Castady-Kristament of Black Velvet Butterfly. Trevor constructed an instrumental track and then handed it over to James who added lyrics, guitar, vocals, and production. James takes on the part of a melancholic vampire who finds his days rushing by way too fast, and wonders if he is actually living, given he has to avoid the sun and vampire hunters so can’t actually do everything he wants to do.

There is something about this release which grabs the listener in, with a driving bass and sympathetic guitar combined with a nice melody and some very effective percussion which provides the perfect foundation for James to sing against. The combination of his dry delivery and the lyrics make for something which is intriguing and compelling, and the lightness provided by the keyboards lifts the song just enough. The short, distorted guitar solo is also just right within the context and the result is somehow both mainstream and full of pop while also being very different and from left field, and it just works. Hopefully this is not the last we have heard of this partnership, as this is incredibly effective.