"Velvet" is the second single by The Big Pink, and their first single with the 4AD label. "Velvet" was released as a digital download and on 7-inch vinyl on April 20, 2009, and was later included on their debut album A Brief History of Love in September 2009. "Velvet" was re-issued as a single on February 15, 2010. The song was self-produced by the band, and mixed by producer Alan Moulder. The 7-inch single features the exclusive B-side "An Introduction to Awareness", while the 12-inch single features a cover version of Otis Redding's 1964 song "These Arms of Mine". Pitchfork Media described "Velvet" as "undeniably immense, but it's a tribute to the Big Pink's skill and maturity that it still manages to sound intimate," and awarded the track a 7 out of 10 rating. In August 2009, "Velvet" was included on Pitchfork's Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s list, voted in at number 500. On Pitchfork's end-of-the-year Top 100 Tracks of 2009 list, "Velvet" was voted at #42. A 7-minute remix of "Velvet" by Gang Gang Dance followed the original single release in May 2009 as an online-streaming single. Remixes by Mount Kimbie and Van Rivers & The Subliminal Kid (producers for Fever Ray) were also commissioned. The song was commonly covered by Swedish artist Lykke Li during her 2011 Wounded Rhymes Tour.

Track listing

Credits

2009 release

2010 release