A Personal But Super Catchy Pop-Rock LP from Sanny Veloo, Speaks Volumes
An absolutely refreshing brand of pop rock from Sanny Veloo most certainly oozes character, stories, and charm. This is a record that certainly doesn't hold back, especially in the way of lyrics and experimentation. It is absolutely catchy with loads of pop sensibility attached at all times; however, it does branch out, get a little bit edgy, and has lots of heart, which I think is one of the things you end up getting attached to the most.
The record can come through humorous, spirited, and a lot of the time, with a really unique sense of energy that becomes quickly infectious.
Most importantly, this is an album that has layers. It speaks volumes for Sanny, who ends up giving you so much of that character and personality along the way that you feel like you've just spoken to an old friend you haven't seen in a while.
The album is called I've Got You My Friend, and it doesn't waste a lot of time kicking things off with "I Don't Believe The Truth," which breeds a cross of indie and classic rock with elements of alternative hidden just beneath the surface.
The guitar tones have a lot to do with that, along with the inventive and sort of colorful riffs they deliver.
Right off the bat, you start to get an almost theatrical sort of underbelly. His vocals come through sort of animated, which I really enjoy and is something that you get a lot throughout the course of the record's unfolding.
The way he delivers lyrical phrasing is a really important aspect of why these songs work, particularly the way they do. This song is a perfect example of that as he squeezes in a lot into one bar.
As I mentioned before, this is a record that gives you a lot of that personality, and this first initial song opens you up to that.
As a matter of fact, this first track is a great way to introduce you to the entire record, as it does boast some of the better staples you'll hear throughout the full LP.
"A Brighter Tomorrow" boasts some great attitude and a little bit of vocal swagger in there, once again beckoning certain eras of classic rock and giving you some deep-pocketed grooves to get down with along the way.
You can hear that there is a slew of influences that Sanny is holding close to his heart, and a lot of those come through here and there, scattered about throughout the full album.
The guitars soar, give great progressions, and a lot of the hooks and choruses have become super memorable.
"Warning Signs" comes through with a lot of honesty and personal perspective, but has this great pop overtone that just becomes danceable and gives you elements of funk in its aesthetic.
This track, to me, is one of the catchiest and most radio-friendly on the record. After it has ended, you end up humming that chorus in your head over and over on repeat.
Another thing that really hits hard about this record is just the energy level in general. It's such a great set of intensities, but all done right. There's a natural dynamic balance between everything going on in the songs, but that energy is just something you feed into throughout this record.
It's a perfect blend of color and edginess. It makes you want to go see the songs performed live, in your face. This is mostly because if he can capture this kind of energy and aesthetic on record so well, then seeing the songs performed live must be pretty awesome.
"Dear Rani" is an emotional and heartfelt ballad performed on acoustic guitars, and this one really showcases some different vocal approaches and ability.
It's beautifully constructed, and once again, this is a perfect example of a song that delivers a lot of that heart that I mentioned earlier.
Because Sanny is tapping into these different emotions throughout the LP, you sort of follow along.
It's songs like this that put you in the moment with it. You end up relating to it and understanding exactly where he's coming from as he tells the story from that personal perspective.
It's also a song that you feel like could be the soundtrack to part of a chapter in your own life, which is something I really dig as well.
I think a lot of that has to do with how honest and straightforward he can be with his lyrics.
This is absolutely a record that's written with no walls built around it.
Out of it all, the title track closes the record. "I've Got You My Friend" is an absolutely impactful single that almost captures everything that the record is about, all in one song.
Not just lyrically, really, but musically and instrumentally as well. He rolls in all those different influences into this song and comes through with brilliant guitar work, a passionate approach, and a unique liveliness.
This whole album is completely addictive. This is for people who love a good rock record that has catchiness, pop overtone, edgy underbellies, and loads of character along the way that you can end up holding on to.
I think every good record needs those elements, especially if you're creating something that comes from a real place, which this record absolutely does.
So, upon listening to this album, I knew I wanted to have a sit-down with Sanny just so I could find out exactly where it came from and what it was about, along with what's coming up next for him.
So, as you listen to this record, have a read-through of our interview with Sanny Veloo below, and remember where you heard it all first.
Where did this record come from and what is it about?
I stepped away from my previous band, EMPRA, and went back to Singapore because my father had become seriously ill and my family needed help caring for him during the last couple of years of his life. So I left it all. I left rock and roll behind to care for my dad.
After he passed, I had this incredibly vivid dream. He was sitting in a pub with friends of his who had also passed away. It was almost like this pub in heaven, you know? And he was telling everyone how proud he was of me and how I was making the best music of my life.
The strange thing was, at the time, I'd pretty much left music behind. I thought my music career was over and it was time to move on. I was working as a web developer and wasn't really making music at all, apart from posting the odd guitar solo Reel on Instagram.
But I woke up from that dream with tears in my eyes, and I knew I had to get back into music.
So this album became a collection of songs about everything I'd lived through up to that point: loss, grief, friendship, resilience, hope, heartbreak, and getting back up and trying to find your purpose and your place in the world again.
And the song I've Got You My Friend really captures the heart of the whole album for me. For all the difficult things I talk about on the record, ultimately it's still about connection. It's about your friends, your loved ones, having each other's backs, and helping each other through this journey of life.
Did you produce this yourself, or do you work with an outside producer?
It ended up being a combination.
I actually started off trying to do the whole thing myself, and I think I drove myself a little crazy because I didn't know when to stop. I did a lot of the initial recording and arranging from my home studio, and for about four of the songs I worked remotely with this incredible drummer, Nate Barnes, and bass legend Sean Hurley.
Then I started playing shows around Melbourne, put a live band together, and recorded another four songs with the guys here. That's when I brought in Michael Badger, who's an old friend of mine and an ARIA-winning producer who's worked with artists like Amyl and the Sniffers and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.
The first thing I asked Michael to do was mix I've Got You My Friend. When I first heard his mix, I remember thinking, "Man, this is really different from what I had in my head." So I let it sit for a while, came back to it, and then thought, "Hang on... this sounds great."
That was the turning point. I knew I wanted him involved in finishing the record.
Michael ended up helping me record four of the songs and mixing most of the album. Two tracks, I Don't Believe the Truth and This Lovely Lie, were mixed by Darrell Thorpe, and the whole record was mastered by Joe Carra here in Melbourne.
So I guess you could say Michael and I co-produced the album in the end, but I genuinely don't think I could have finished it without him. The recording process was pretty disjointed. Some songs were made at home, some remotely with musicians in the US, some in the studio with the Melbourne band. Somehow Michael managed to pull all of that together and make it sound like one record.
He's a brilliant, creative guy and honestly just an awesome producer and person to work with.
What are you performing on the album?
I'm the singer, songwriter, lead and rhythm guitarist, and backing vocalist.
On four of the songs, I Don't Believe the Truth, Before It's Gone, This Lovely Lie and I've Got You My Friend, I worked remotely with drummer Nate Barnes and bassist Sean Hurley.
Then on another four songs, including A Brighter Tomorrow, Warning Signs, Love Has Set You Free and Dear Rani, I recorded with my live band here in Melbourne: Aaron Muller on drums, Henry Smithers on bass, and Ted on rhythm guitar.
I also had a couple of friends add some really interesting colours to the record. Ravi Madhavan played tabla and harmonium on the intro to the album. If you listen closely to the opening of I Don't Believe the Truth, around the "Om" section, you can hear those Indian instruments underneath it.
And my friend Abigail Claire helped out with some of the higher falsetto backing vocals.
So the album ended up being this really interesting hybrid of home recording, studio recording, remote international sessions, guest musicians and a real Melbourne rock and roll band.
Did you record this at a bigger studio, or a home DAW setup?
Both.
A lot of it started in my home studio in Melbourne, and parts of the rhythm section were recorded remotely in the US.
I'd jump on Zoom or FaceTime with the musicians, we'd talk through the songs, the arrangements and what I was looking for, and then they'd record their parts and send them back.
Other parts were recorded properly in the studio here in Melbourne with Michael Badger and my live band.
So it definitely wasn't one of those records where you book some glamorous studio for a month and everybody makes the whole album in one room.
It was assembled across bedrooms, lounge rooms and studios in different countries, at different stages, over roughly six months.
And again, kudos to Michael, because somehow he managed to take all of those different recording environments and make the album sound really cohesive.
Are you touring or performing live right now?
At the moment, I've actually wrapped up my Australian tour for this album.
We've done some really cool shows and events, including St Kilda Festival and the Melbourne Formula 1, and we were also meant to play Bluesfest, but unfortunately that was cancelled. We also did a show in Singapore which sold out!
After the news of Bluesfest shutting down, I made the decision to take some time away from playing shows and concentrate on writing the second album, which is what I'm working on right now.
And this time around I've already started recording the songs properly in the studio while I'm writing them. It's going really well, and I'm hoping to have the bulk of the next record completed by around March next year. That feels pretty realistic.
I do miss playing live, though.
I'm still doing the occasional open mic night. That's actually where I started rebuilding myself as a solo artist, so every now and then I'll grab an acoustic guitar, get up there and try out a new song in front of people.
But for now, I really want to get this next batch of material together before I bring the full band back out and start playing shows again.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Weezer is probably the band that made me want to write songs in the first place. Rivers Cuomo showed me that you can have huge guitars and guitar solos and still write really catchy, heartfelt songs.
Then there's Foo Fighters, Green Day, Oasis and Lenny Kravitz. That whole world of melodic and alternative rock is a huge part of where I get my songwriting influence from.
As a guitar player, I love Slash, Santana, Eddie Van Halen, Tom Morello, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Dimebag Darrell, Kirk Hammett, The Edge, Brian May, Ace Frehley... there are so many!
What I really love are guitarists where you can hear two or three notes and immediately know who it is. You hear Santana and you know it's Santana. You hear Slash and you know it's him. I love players who are melodic, expressive and have a really distinctive sound.
Lyrically and as a songwriter, I'm also really influenced by people like Bob Marley, John Lennon, Ben Folds, Rivers Cuomo, Lenny Kravitz and Billie Joe Armstrong.
They're all very different writers, but they understand that songs can be catchy and entertaining while still being incredibly personal, emotional or actually standing for something meaningful.
That's probably what I'm chasing with my own music: big songs, great guitars, and something unifying and human underneath it all.
What would you say people can expect from this release?
It's definitely a rock record, but melody is incredibly important to me.
I want big choruses that people can remember and sing along to at a show. That stuff matters to me just as much as the guitars.
Lyrically, there's a lot going on underneath it all: friendship, loss, toxic relationships, hope, love, division, resilience, unity, conspiracy... pretty much all the shit I had to go through, and that people close to me went through, over the last couple of years. I put all of that into this album.
It's probably best listened to loud because it's a rock and roll record. Hopefully people sing along to the songs, get into the lyrics, and get into the guitar solos too.
There aren't enough guitar solos in modern music today, and I grew up listening to so many of them that playing guitar solos feels like a natural extension of my singing.
I'm a singer-songwriter who's also a lead guitarist, and I put just as much thought into the guitar parts and solos as I do into the songs themselves.
Is there anything you are working on as of now?
Yes, I've started writing and recording Album Two, and this time I'm working in a proper studio because I wanted to level up the sound.
I'm really excited about where it's going because I'm pushing myself into a slightly heavier sound. I definitely didn't want to just remake the first album.
In places it's heavier, more urgent and more contemporary. There's alternative rock, melodic power pop, big guitars and some pretty adventurous guitar playing.
But one thing definitely hasn't changed: I still want that chorus you can sing along to.
I'm also bringing in some newer influences like Turnstile, Paramore, Yungblud and Sam Fender, alongside all the guitar music I've always loved.
Lyrically, I think the first album was much more introspective. This time I'm looking outward a bit more.
There's just so much happening in the world right now: war, division, fear, technology, isolation, climate disaster. I want to make songs that actually engage with the time we're living through, while hopefully still feeling timeless in some way.
And whatever I write, I want it to come from a place of human connection and hope.
And I definitely do not use AI in the creation of my music.
Fuck that.
Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
Thank you.
Thank you so much for listening, for supporting this magazine, for reading this interview, and for supporting independent music.
I'm an independent artist, so every person who listens to one of my songs, sends it to somebody, comes to a show, buys a T-shirt, or tells me that something I wrote meant something to them genuinely matters to me.
I've had a pretty strange journey through music.
I've toured across countries. I broke my arm badly enough to be told I might never play guitar again. I lost my drummer and best friend, Wayne. I walked away from music to care for my father during the last years of his life.
And somehow I found my way back to music again.
Now I'm here to stay.
I don't take any of this for granted.
If you've found these songs and they've become part of your day, or your life, in some small way, I'm incredibly grateful for that.
And please stick around, because I genuinely believe the best music I've made is still ahead of me.
Thank you so much.
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