The Velvet Sundown, AI Rock Band on Spotify

Something strange is happening on Spotify.

A mysterious band called The Velvet Sundown popped up out of nowhere this summer, no concerts, no interviews. They went from complete unknowns to over 500,000 monthly listeners in no time. Their sound? A dreamy, vintage psychedelic rock that would fit right in on an old-school '70s cassette.

Their Spotify page lists four band members: Gabe Farrow, Lennie West, Milo Rains, and Orion “Rio” Del Mar – but no one seems to know who they are. Their photos look like something out of a dream, or more accurately, something made by artificial intelligence. 

And that’s what people are starting to suspect. 

Like this promotional photo showing the band sharing a burger, except the hands in the photo look subtly distorted, like they were drawn by a machine that missed thumbs. Then there’s the music itself: well-produced but missing the raw moments that usually come with human-made art.

Deezer, the streaming service, even added a warning to the band’s tracks: “Some content may have been created using artificial intelligence.” Spotify hasn’t followed suit and declare label the band as certified artist. What?

A big part of The Velvet Sundown’s rise might come down to how streaming algorithms work. Their songs are showing up in tons of nostalgic playlists — from “Vietnam War Music” to “The O.C. Soundtrack” — where people might assume they’re listening to forgotten classics. That’s clever, but also raises ethical questions. Are these songs being recommended because they’re good… or because they’ve been engineered to “trick” the algorithm?

So… Who Made This?

Nobody knows. The people behind the project (if there are any) insist that The Velvet Sundown is a real band. But there’s still no live performance, no behind-the-scenes footage, and no proof that the musicians even exist. And in 2025, when AI can write songs, generate images, and mimic just about any voice, that’s starting to look like a red flag.

Why This Matters?

This isn’t just a mystery, it touches on bigger questions about music, creativity, and trust:

• Should fans be told when music is made by AI?
• Who gets paid when there’s no human artist?
• How can listeners tell what’s real anymore?

More platforms like Deezer are starting to label AI-made music, but right now, there are few rules — and even fewer answers.

So. If you care about the music you listen to, it's more important than ever to go to those live shows this summer. Or, if you don't care, go ahead and listen to "The Velvet Sundown", it might be the future of music streaming?

July 2025