L.A.’s Richard Edwards and the Velvet Ocean Ready New Album

As the former frontman and guitarist of Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s, Richard Edwards was a prolific creator, releasing seven albums between the years of 2006 and 2018. His latest, as Richard Edwards and the Velvet Ocean, is a nine-track, meditative slice of Americana songwriting entitled The Soft Ache and the Moon, and set for release on June 12. The album was produced by Edwards and Mike Bloom, and mastered by Greg Calbi, the Grammy-winning engineer whose credits include work with Kacey Musgraves and Tame Impala. Right from the watercolor Laurel Canyon vibes of the front cover, The Soft Ache… descends into a hymn-like reverence, guided by soft piano and guitar melodies.

Says Edwards of “January,” “I wrote this song, like so many on the record, while dancing alone in my house. I had an idea that by moving the body while singing, my melodies might bend and twist in ways they hadnʼt during years of sedentary writing. I was correct. The song is about a reoccurring dream when I’m sick.”

You can read more about Edwards’ forthcoming album here and check out videos for “January,” “Monkey,” “Pink Lightning” and “Inchyra Blue,” all tracks off The Soft Ache…, via his YouTube channel.