Los Angeles-based Folk Psych-Prog/Art Rock collective Velvet Penny, spearheaded by singer-songwriter and community organizer Marlena Martinez, has officially released the live video for “Carousel Dreams,” the title-track and lead single from their upcoming debut full-length album. Captured live in both video and audio at Windowpane Studios in Long Beach, California, the session offers a stark, haunting doorway into a 40-minute opus set for digital release on October 2, 2026, with a physical vinyl edition following on October 9, 2026, via Psylk Rd.
Serving as the opening track to the album, “Carousel Dreams” establishes a fragile yet hypnotic Folk foundation. Sonically minimalist, the live recording captures an ethereal, otherworldly atmosphere where Martinez reflects on human impermanence, cyclical pursuits, and past missteps.
As Martinez sings in the track’s central refrain:
“Troubles Galore on a Carousel Horse while I sit and eat cotton candy / Sugar melting decaying my teeth, well that’s all just fine and dandy / Soon, we’ll all be Spirits in Passing / It’s quite the relief that nothing we own we keep.”
Watch the official video for “Carousel Dreams” via the YouTube player below:
— Sonic Diversity and Conceptual Architecture —
While the opening single presents a delicate folk arrangement, the 40-minute album unfolds into an expansive Art Rock tapestry. Velvet Penny weaves together elements of Folk, Psychedelic Rock, Alt-Jazz, Shoegaze, Retro Soul and Theatrical musicals. The collective’s sound moves fluidly from soft, vintage vocal passages to raw, skin-crawling catharsis.
Conceptually, “Carousel Dreams” operates within a shadowy inner realm symbolized by a spider-woven carousel. The album engages deeply with shadow work, excavating the aftermath of familial trauma, secret-keeping, and the insidious ways past emotional wounds sabotage adult relationships and future aspirations—a psychological dynamic Martinez describes as “ghosts in a nursery.”
— The Artistic Evolution of Marlena Martinez: From Noise Underground to Community Healing —
Originating from Southern California’s Inland Empire before relocating to Los Angeles, Marlena Martinez’s musical trajectory is deeply rooted in experimental art and grassroots activism. Growing up in the Arts Colony of Pomona, she initially cut her teeth in the underground noise scene at The DA Center of the Arts using a loop pedal and a Line 6 amplifier for feedback-heavy performance art. That era culminated in a Halloween 2014 show featuring a stage recreation of Carrie, complete with simulated blood poured by fellow artist Suzy’s Dead.
Following a seven-year hiatus, Martinez re-emerged after winning a 2020 singing contest hosted by Big Crown Records. This spark led to the creation of her debut EP, “All the Flowers” (released in 2023), produced alongside French producer Wolf Kroeger and engineered by Shachar “Shak” Boussani (known for his work with Danny Elfman, Lupe Fiasco, and BTS). “All the Flowers” was conceived not merely as a record, but as a dedicated vehicle for domestic violence awareness, accompanied by an art/DV resource zine and an award-winning music video.
Martinez’s commitment to art as a space for healing materialized in an artistic residency at CASA Pitzer in Ontario, CA, where Velvet Penny hosted free community programming covering somatic consent, trauma healing, zine-making, and self-defense. This ethos continued through her 2023–2024 music video project for “Yudith,” created in collaboration with femme, POC, and LGBTQIA+ artists to portray the non-linear path of recovery through film and choreography.
Subsequent releases—including the haunting single “Santa Ana” (a collaboration with musician Gidea released on a Taurus Eclipse) and the 2025 lathe-cut split 7″ single “Hot Air Balloon” with Latin Psych-Rockers Sol Societe on Psylk Rd—paved the way for “Carousel Dreams.” To accompany the new album, Martinez is currently developing a short film and a pop-up book to further expand the record’s visual universe. Velvet Penny‘s musical universe sits alongside artistic peers such as Fiona Apple, Björk, Spellling, Pink Floyd, and Daisy Rickman.
Pre-Order “Carousel Dreams” on Bandcamp: https://velvet-penny.bandcamp.com/album/carousel-dreams
Velvet Penny operates flexibly, ranging from intimate solo performances to a full seven-piece ensemble. The studio recording and live performance video of “Carousel Dreams” feature an extensive roster of musicians and audio engineers:
Marlena Martinez / Lead Vocals & Guitar
Beauman Edwards / Bass
Victor Burguan / Drums
Lorali Mossaver-Rahmani, Annie Jaylin / Backing Vocals
Andrew Sandoval / Guitar
Sayle Garcia / Bass Clarinet & Saxophone
Tyler English / Pedal Steel
Alec Kwo / Keys
Tracking Engineers: Beauman Edwards, Marlena Martinez, Alec Kwo, Jonas Morbach
Mixing Engineer: Beauman Edwards at Bean Stew (Eagle Rock, CA)
Mastering Engineer: Amar Lal at Macro Sound (Oakland, CA)
Album Cover Art: Kye Aragon
Single Artwork: Cecilia Serna
To celebrate the release of “Carousel Dreams,” Velvet Penny will embark on a multi-state US tour this October, ending with a festival appearance in Pomona:
Purchase tickets here: https://velvetpenny.com/tour
Oct 17 – Nashville, TN @ The 5 Spot
Oct 19 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Comet
Oct 20 – Bloomington, IN @ Rewind Records
Oct 21 – Indianapolis, IN @ Healer
Oct 24 – Oak Park, IL @ Compound Yellow
Oct 25 – Hamtramck, MI @ Paris Bar
Oct 26 – Cleveland, OH @ Brothers Lounge
Oct 27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Museum for Art in Wood
Oct 29 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rubulad
Oct 31 – Pomona, CA @ Lopez Urban Farm (Dark Harvest Festival 2026)