Photo courtesy of VELVET DREAMING

Kade Thibodeau of Boston queer electropop concern VELVET DREAMING is an artist that thrives in contradiction. A fixture in Boston’s deeply communal punk rock orbit, they come at the maximalist pop sound of, say Charli XCX, from a DIY-honed perspective, recreating the million dollar studio moves in their bedroom in a way that feels true to the gilded spirit of Top 40 while nodding to the purposeful accessibility of their roots. With a monochromatic and harsh, almost violently red aesthetic to play against the softer, more palatable pastels and glittery mattes, VELVET DREAMING pits less as a hardcore fan’s idea of pop and more of a valiant attempt at proving just how close those spheres are to intersection once you look under the hood. It’s music to two-step by for people who dance that also creates a circle big enough to include those more inclined to slam.

Here’s what Thibodeau had to say VELVET DREAMING’s latest single “2 far” which we are pleased to be premiering today at Allston Pudding ahead of their very first tour: