Tempo Talks: A Conversation with Velour Academy

THE RELEASE

Velour Academy rose from CA's bustling music world with the combination of songwriter/bassist Jamil Kassimali and songwriter/vocalist Shannon Martinez. The duo spent many years honing their pop-punk sound. They grew from these demos over time. Then, in a bold departure, the group fattened its membership with drummer/vocalist/keyboard player Itzel Palacios and guitarist Justin Hall. A miraculous quartet set their creativity free as they assembled their debut album "OOZE," reflecting the story of their musical growth. Velour Academy made their initial foray into formal albums in 2017, and today they present their single, "Pulsar."

Embark on a sonic journey with Velour Academy's, "Pulsar." It's an extract from their second full-length album, "CHISME." This song encapsulates the band's signature style of pop-punk music, which has been so finely honed over many years of musical exploration. "Pulsar" carries a sprightly, contagious power that emanates sound. This is a musical sensation that is sure to lift your spirits. In 2021, it was self-released by the band before a Denver, CO-based label called Snappy Little Numbers heard it and decided to get involved. Velour Academy's re-release on March 4, 2022, of the album CHISME was in many ways, a landmark event for them. 

THE INTERVIEW

If you had to create a Mount Rushmore of inspiration, what four individuals molded the artist you are today?

Shannon: Billy Joe, because while he and Green Day have changed a lot since Dookie came out, James and I totally idolized him for many years, and his 1990s persona and his music writing have undoubtedly been more influential on us than anything else. Gwen Stefani, although she has changed a lot now too, was influential during our formative years as well. For James, Paul Westerberg and for me, probably Allison Mosshart when she was in discount because singing my heart out to those songs for so many years was a big part of learning how to sing for me, even though I sing very differently.

Were there any specific challenges or breakthrough moments during the production of your new single that had a significant impact on its final form?

Jamil: We were in the studio and had pretty much wrapped up recording the entire album, but Shannon suddenly insisted on going back in and re-recording the vocals for Pulsar. The song was fine as it was originally recorded, and it seemed like it was as good as it was going to probably get, but when she redid the vocals, it went from being just “good enough” into, in my opinion, one of the best songs we’ve done. I really give her a lot of credit for that.

Can you share insights into the collaborative process behind the creation of your latest single, including any notable contributions from producers, co-writers, engineers or featured artists?

Jamil: My background in writing music is completely self-taught and DIY, and I wanted to make a pop song even though I had no clue how to do it. The synth line was initially palm muted, but the bass guitar looped really fast. We went up to Oakland to record our album with Jack Shirley at his atomic garden studio, and he really helped us transition it into a true synth-based electro-pop song and had some good suggestions, like the grimy-sounding bass undertones during the chorus.

Can you articulate the impact or impression you hope your new song leaves on listeners long after they've experienced it for the first time?

Shannon: I have certain go-to songs that are not new at all that I like to listen to when I need to connect with myself and really just sink into the bed for a few minutes, and I hope this song could be that for people since it has such a chilled-out mood and asks all these open-ended questions about life.

Looking ahead, how does the release of this single pave the way for future projects, and are there any hints or clues about the direction your music might take in the coming months?

Jamil: We’ve started working on a new EP, and it's actually going to be very different from Pulsar. We’re going for a straight-up, no-nonsense pop punk sound this time around. It will still sound like Velour Academy, but we want to keep things fresh and do our own take on the genre that got us into playing music in the first place.

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