A psych-rock band called The Velvet Sundown has somehow racked up over 500,000 Spotify listeners in less than one month, already releasing two full albums, with a third one on the way in July.
But here’s the catch—there’s a good chance the band isn’t real at all.
Who is The Velvet Sundown?
Even at first glance, everything about The Velvet Sundown feels off. The band’s promo shots posted to an Instagram account by the same name have that uncanny, yellow, smoothed-over look most of us have learned to recognize in AI-generated images.
What’s more, their bio introduces the members with names like “Gabe Farrow, vocalist and mellotron sorcerer,” and “Milo Rains, bassist-synth alchemist.” Yet not a single trace of these people exists online. No interviews, no social media, no performance videos.
Still, their music is everywhere. Not only is it available on Spotify, but also on Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Deezer. On Deezer, there’s at least a small disclaimer if you click on one of their albums. It reads, “Some tracks on this album may have been created using artificial intelligence.”
The Velvet Sundown even has an account on X, where the bio insists: “Yes, We Are A Real Band & We Never Use AI.”
Is the music industry heading in the generative AI direction?
The band’s sudden rise comes just weeks after music producer Timbaland launched an AI label called Stage Zero and signed an AI artist named TaTa, built using Suno AI.
This move was heavily criticized by the public, with fans accusing him of overlooking real, young talent.
Now, the fact that an AI-generated band took off so quickly—without a single human attached—only adds fuel to the debate.
More and more fans are wondering if their favorite playlists are quietly filling up with AI tracks, and whether it’s even possible to avoid them anymore.
People are listening—but not everyone’s happy about it
For some listeners, The Velvet Sundown came out of nowhere. Others didn’t even realize the band might be AI-generated until after hearing the music.
“I’m ashamed to say last week I listened to Floating on Echoes. It was in my Discover Weekly on Spotify and it sounded OK. Spotify can’t be promoting this over actual up-and-coming artists, it’s [expletive],” one person commented on a post shared to r/indieheads.
“What is really [expletive] up is that I was listening to a playlist called Songs From Vietnam War Time or something like that on Spotify for my dad that just passed, and their song was in it,” another user shared on the same post. “I clicked on them in disbelief… I have listened to classic rock my whole life. Was about to ask a friend if they heard of them and came upon the AI articles. This is so messed up, we are doomed.”
Over on X, people had similar thoughts.
“Not enough music people are actually paying attention to this Velvet Sundown situation. The future of streaming services is about to be so bleak,” one user said.
“I’m convinced the whole ‘Velvet Sundown is an AI band’ thing is just a marketing psyop. Regardless of if they are or aren’t human,” said another.
“If you enjoy The Velvet Sundown, please get help. There’s plenty of bands that actually sound good and aren’t AI generated, but REAL people with a love and passion for music,” wrote a third.
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