A Million Knives

When the Velveteers released their first album, Nightmare Daydream, in 2021, much was made of the trios youth -- singer, guitarist, and leader Demi Demitro was just 16 when she formed the band, and 22 when the LP came out. So if the group sounds significantly more mature on their sophomore outing, 2025s A Million Knives, that makes perfect sense, and Demitro and her bandmates, drummers Baby Pottersmith and John Demitro, sound notably stronger, more confident, and with a better command of the studio than they did four years earlier. It doesnt hurt that they also had a bit more help, as Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys (who signed the Velveteers to his Easy Eye Sound label) returned to produce their second effort and brought along his bandmate, Patrick Carney, to add to the instrumental attack on some tracks, including the first single, "Go Fly Away." For a band with an unconventional lineup and a garage punk pedigree, saying the Velveteers deliver a more professional product on A Million Knives might sound like a dubious compliment. That said, while this is noticeably slicker than the debut, it also hits its targets with greater accuracy. Though the double-drummer approach is more subdued this time, Demi Demitros vocals are far better controlled, and she pulls off the nuances of "Up Here" and the title track with a surety thats impressive. However, while Demi is capable of baring her soul, both vocally and lyrically, and can add a dollop of girl group cool to some of the slower numbers, the truth is she and her partners are still at their best when they let their rock & roll instincts take the spotlight. If Demi sounds great in the subdued opening passage of the final track, "Fix Me" (no relation to the Black Flag tune), its when she turns up the distortion on her guitar and the drummers start hitting hard about two minutes in that the song really comes to life. The Velveteers are getting better at what they do, and A Million Knives captures that well, but they still sound best when they let their swaggering rock attitude do the talking. Maybe Demi Demitro should save the more personal numbers for her solo project? ~ Mark Deming