It's been four years since The Velveteers' debut album, 'Nightmare Daydream', and they've made every minute count. Filling this time with tours supporting rock behemoths Guns N Roses, The Black Keys, and Smashing Pumpkins, they're now readying their second album, 'A Million Knives'.

As much a step up as it is a bid to fill those cavernous spaces they toured, it's a doubling-down on their knack for memorable hooks and the dazzling shine of 'Nightmare Daydream'. 'A Million Knives' finds The Black Keys' (and Easy Eye label head) Dan Auerbach once again on production duties, who, according to Velveteers' guitarist and vocalist Demi Demitro, is "The kind of person that can get in a room and pull something out of the sky". Released on Valentine's Day this year, the band are keen celebrators. "It's one of my favourite holidays," Demi gushes. "It worked out well. Especially because love and hearts are such a big theme on this album... it worked out perfectly."

The group have become an impenetrable trio since their early days. They first formed as teenagers in Colorado. Demi recruited drummer Baby Pottersmith after enchanting him with a performance. But it wasn't until the pair faced disbanding that things came together. During their time apart, Baby played with the final piece of the unique Velveteers puzzle, second drummer Jonny Fig. As a unit, the trio locked in on the ferocity of teen ambition, with a raw, ready rock'n'roll sound.

2021's 'Nightmare Daydream' introduced the band as a studious crew with their gritty double-drum rock concoction. Looking back now, Demi notes "When we did our debut, I think we were just so excited to just record an album. We didn't have anything out at that point. I used a lot of metaphors, or I was writing about things that weren't directly to do with me." When it came time to start their second outing, there was one important focus. "I tried not to overthink it too much, because I know it's the one that everyone always overthinks," she laughs. "I was definitely overthinking it to begin with, so I didn't try to go into it with too many ideas or expectations. I just knew I wanted to make something that I felt proud of."

Referring to it as a "labour of love", 'A Million Knives' is the product of a series of overcomings for Demi. From those expectations being reined in, to readying herself and the band for round two in the industry, "There was a lot of hard work and tears that went into this," she reflects.

This time, the group had a stronger sense of their sonic identity. Demi explains this as being "heavier and even adding a little more pop elements into the production style," which rings true throughout. 'On And On' hosts a catchy chorus that trickles away while 'Heaven' melodiously declares "All good girls go to heaven", amongst waves of shrieking distortion. The last secret ingredient was more personal to Demi: "For me as a songwriter, writing this album felt a lot more vulnerable, and learning to be okay with that." The opening crunch of 'All These Things' signals the start of this expunging, which comes to a head in 'Take It From The Top' with its self-analytical queries: "Is anybody going to like me? / Is going to love me?"

Hosting themes from heartbreak to being jaded by the world, as well as, according to Demi, "grieving who you were in the past", the last four years have transformed The Velveteers. "When you start working so much on something, and it starts becoming serious, and there's a lot of people involved with it, there can be a tendency to lose sight of the magic that it initially brought you," Demi muses.

The touring schedule eventually led to recording time, allowing the group to process this period since creating music is what Demi first fell in love with as teenagers. Noticing that feeling was fading amid the industry noise that surrounds a rising band, 'A Million Knives' became a statement of reclamation. "I started to feel like I was losing myself a little bit," she admits. "And that felt like grieving my past self in a lot of ways, and how much I loved creating. I loved the feeling I would get, and then feeling like there were all these voices coming at me trying to change me or make me one way or the other, getting back to the basics was important."

"When we started on this album, I needed to find that creative part of myself again," Demi explains. "Because I had spent so much time on the road exercising a different part of my creativity. Getting back into songwriting was very therapeutic in a lot of ways, and then it was also really difficult because I felt like I was doing something I hadn't done before."

Taking the building blocks of her past work and watching them transform, it's this aspect of creating music that has always enthralled Demi: "For me, at least, it'll always have that fresh outlook." But, channelling this into a new vision, particularly for 'A Million Knives', is a newly unlocked element for The Velveteers. For them, it's as simple as "knowing what we want more, being more sure," though understanding that others within the industry machinery also have their vision, often conflicting with the artist's. This means the trio have developed fresh defences against these pressures. Demi explains this involves "feeling a little more guarded after being in the industry professionally."

With this new era finding The Velveteers in stronger stead, they seem ready to forge ahead. While they've weathered difficulties, understanding who they want to be and experiencing rock'n'roll first-hand on tours with major bands has proven it's all worthwhile. "It's cool to see in the audiences how excited everyone is still about rock'n'roll," she beams. "It's funny to me because I feel like everyone is always saying rock is dead, and I don't think it is. I think there are so many great bands that are playing rock'n'roll right now, and seeing some of the bands that we got to tour with, they're living proof that people are still going to rock'n'roll shows and enjoying it."

This direct experience is why The Velveteers confidently declare their stake as an emerging rock band. "It's what we set out to do when we first started," Demi confirms. "And I feel like more than anything, rock'n'roll and punk, it's an attitude, and to me, it spans over many different genres. So, Bob Dylan, to me, is rock'n'roll, even though a lot of people would consider his music folk music or whatever."

Carving their place in the rock canon they've idolised since their teens is what 'A Million Knives' represents. It's The Velveteers taking another stride forward, following the path of their recent tour mates. "It's crazy to think about, because we started the band when I was 16, and my bandmate was 15 or 14, and it's just gone way beyond places I could have ever imagined." The last few years have been, according to Demi, filled with relentless work, but through the settling dust comes a reflection that validates it all. "I've just learned to savour every moment, those tours and those experiences," she smiles. "Because it is really special."