Viral AI band
In an era where algorithms dictate our playlists and artificial intelligence churns out art like a factory, The Velvet Sundown has stormed the music scene, amassing over 850,000 monthly Spotify listeners since June 2025. Their nostalgic, psychedelic rock sound seduces casual listeners, but their murky origins, almost certainly AI-driven, cast a troubling shadow. This so-called band isn’t just a musical act; it’s a wake-up call, forcing us to confront an unsettling truth: AI-generated music risks diluting the human spirit that has always defined great art.
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The Velvet Sundown’s breakout track, “Dust on the Wind,” with over 10 lakh streams, has infiltrated Spotify playlists like “Vietnam War Music” and “Good Mornings – Happily Positive Music to Start The Day.” Their sound, a slick blend of ‘70s psychedelic rock, alt-pop, and folk rock, mimics The Eagles or Tame Impala with uncanny precision. But the cracks show quickly. The band’s supposed members, Gabe Farrow, Lennie West, Milo Rains, and Orion “Rio” Del Mar, exist only as social media ghosts, their accounts popping up on June 27, 2025, with no history. Their promotional images, glossy yet eerily artificial, scream AI generation, likely from tools like Midjourney. Their discography, including albums “Floating on Echoes” and “Dust and Silence”, emerged in quick succession, with a third, Paper Sun Rebellion, slated for July 14, 2025. Deezer, a platform hosting their music, flagged these albums with disclaimers: “Some tracks on this album may have been created using artificial intelligence.”
The music itself, while catchy, feels like a soulless algorithm’s attempt at nostalgia. People on Reddit and X have called it “elevator music for hippies,” polished to appease but lacking the grit of human struggle. Their meteoric rise reeks of algorithm manipulation, Spotify’s algorithm, which thrives on playlist gaming, likely boosted their visibility, sidelining genuine artists scraping by in an oversaturated market. Initially, a social media account claiming to represent the band insisted the music was human-made, born from “long, sweaty nights in a cramped bungalow in California.” But the lack of live performances, interviews, or tangible history fueled skepticism. Their Spotify bio, initially a vague ramble about “chasing echoes through the desert,” offered no clarity, deepening the mystery surrounding their identity.
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On July 6, 2025, The Velvet Sundown’s Spotify bio dropped the pretense, admitting they’re a “synthetic music project” using AI for composition, vocals, and visuals. They call it an “artistic provocation,” but it feels more like a cynical stunt. A supposed spokesperson, Andrew Frelon, told Rolling Stone they used “Suno”, an AI music generator, only to later claim he was an imposter, piling on the absurdity. This isn’t art as much as it is a tech demo masquerading as creativity.
The rise of tools like Suno and Udio, which churn out songs from text prompts, threatens to flood platforms with generic tracks, drowning out human voices. Spotify’s refusal to mandate AI disclosure, unlike Deezer’s transparent tagging, enables this deception, prioritising profit over integrity. A 2025 Music Business Worldwide report warns AI music could claim 10% of streaming revenue by 2030, starving independent artists already struggling to survive. The Velvet Sundown’s success, likely amplified by algorithmic favoritism, proves AI can mimic commercial viability, but its hollow output lacks the emotional depth that makes music resonate across generations.
This band is no mere experiment; it’s a warning of a future where music becomes a sterile product of code, not heart. Can AI capture the glee of a festive ballad or the defiance of a protest anthem? Should listeners care about a song’s origin? In an era where algorithms craft chart-topping hits, The Velvet Sundown challenges the industry to redefine authenticity and confront the future of creativity. Listeners deserve transparency, and artists deserve a fair shot. As this synthetic project churns out more algorithm-friendly albums, we must demand art that reflects our messy, beautiful reality, not a machine’s cold calculations.
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