The Velvet Sundown, a rock band that emerged on Spotify in mid-2025, quickly gained a substantial following. By July 10, 2025, the band had over 1 million monthly listeners. Their top track, "Dust on the Wind," surpassed 1.1 million streams.
The band's members, including Gabe Farrow, Lennie West, Milo Rains, and Orion "Rio" Del Mar, lack verifiable online presence outside their Spotify profile. Their social media images and press photos suggest AI-generated content, sparking speculation. The band released a statement acknowledging their AI-generated identity, describing the project as a synthetic music endeavor guided by human creative direction.
Their music, produced using AI tools like Suno, is characterized by soft guitar melodies and male vocals. Albums like "Floating on Echoes" and "Dust and Silence" were released in June 2025. The emergence of The Velvet Sundown has initiated broader discussions about the role of AI in the music industry. The band's third album, "Paper Sun Rebellion," is scheduled for release on July 14, 2025.