The Velvet Sundown Are AI And It Was All A Troll

Turns out The Velvet Sundown aren’t just hollow psych-rock revivalists, they’re not even human.

Surprised here? The Velvet Sundown Confirmed as AI Hoax! After weeks of online suspicion, a spokesperson has admitted the band is a full blown AI “art hoax” powered by generative music tool Suno. The reveal came via Rolling Stone, where self described “adjunct” member Andrew Frelon spilled the beans: “It’s marketing. It’s trolling.”

What started as whispers about stock photo press shots and blank slate bios has now exploded into a conversation about authenticity. As well as streaming manipulation and whether any of this sh*t is even real anymore.

Frelon flip flopped throughout the interview, first saying Suno was only used for brainstorming, then later admitting it created at least some of the band’s tracks. He wouldn’t say which. The band’s top track, ‘Dust On The Wind,‘ has racked up over half a million streams, while their Spotify monthly listener count has climbed to 750,000, largely from user made playlists. When asked about potential playlist gaming, Frelon dodged: “I don’t want to say something that’s not true.”

This comes after the band vehemently denied AI involvement on socials, attacking “so called journalists” for floating what they called a “lazy, baseless theory.” Their X bio still screams: “Yes, We Are A Real Band & We Never Use AI.” That aged well.

Frelon cited infamous stunts like the Leeds 13, art students who faked lavish vacations as inspiration. “Fake things have more impact than real things,” he said.

New Music

The Velvet Sundown drop their next album ‘Paper Sun Rebellion’ on July 14, their third release in two months.

Whether they’re a cautionary tale or a cynical symptom of the streaming age, one thing’s clear, the real fraud isn’t the AI, it’s pretending this is artistry.

The question has to be asked. With The Velvet Sundown confirmed as an AI Hoax, how will the next album go? The cat is officially out of the bag. Time will tell!