By: Marissa Ross
Triptych, the latest cinematic work from genre-defying rock visionary Miss Velvet, was screened as part of the Independent Filmmakers Showcase at Regal Cinemas and won the award for Best Music Video. As it makes its way through the festival circuit, Triptych is continuing to generate buzz for its bold fusion of sound, style, and story as a 14-minute audiovisual epic that transforms heartbreak into high art.
Shot deep in the Mojave Desert, Triptych is a surrealist short film built around a thematic three-part EP. Written and co-produced by Miss Velvet with longtime collaborator Esjay Jones (Billy Corgan, Dave Navarro), the piece unfolds as a mythic journey of betrayal, self-empowerment, and redemption—anchored by orchestral interludes, Greek-inspired choral arrangements, and Velvet’s signature rock vocal. Directed by Gus Black (Greta Van Fleet, Deftones), Triptych immerses audiences in a dreamlike world where pain is confronted, style is sacred, and identity is reclaimed.
“Heading out to L.A., after being selected by nine film festivals and winning Best Music Video, was a moment of joy, stillness, and perspective. A pause that made everything make sense. Because Triptych was never just a film, it was healing. It was art as transformation. Returning to L.A. to receive that award felt full-circle. This film, this visual album, was born after betrayal. Triptych became a vessel. Miss Velvet became a vessel. A place to release, to express, to learn, to alchemize something painful into power,” Miss Velvet said.
The film opens with “Pistols at Dawn,” a flamenco-tinged track that sets the tone with a shadowy desert duel. Miss Velvet, draped in Saint Laurent atop a black horse, faces down an unseen adversary in a blacked-out vintage Mustang, creating a visual metaphor as potent as the track’s Morricone-inspired score.
In its centerpiece, “Strut,” Miss Velvet declares triumph. Clad in a radiant gold Gabriela Hearst suit, she strides a golden runway surrounded by dancers and a mythic choir. The track’s swagger is matched by its message: self-love, unapologetic power, and rising from the wreckage stronger than before.
“Strut is a celebration of feminine strength and creative freedom,” she explained. “It’s about reclaiming your rhythm and walking with pride, whether you’ve been knocked down or not.”
The film’s final act, “Hallelujah,” softens into intimacy. With Americana acoustic guitar beneath a haunting, stripped-down vocal, Miss Velvet walks alone through the desert in a white Tom Ford suit. The scene closes the arc with quiet grace, an arrival at peace.
Co-written and produced with Jones, mixed by Kevin “Thrasher” Gruft (Gwen Stefani, Machine Gun Kelly), and mastered by Grammy-winner Ted Jensen (Rolling Stones, The Eagles), Triptych is a meticulous blend of vintage rock and visionary storytelling. It was recorded primarily at Matt Sorum’s GoodNoise Studios in Palm Springs and released on Miss Velvet’s own Mother Ride Records via The Orchard/Sony.
Triptych’s showing and award at the Independent Filmmakers Showcase signal the beginning of its run on the international film circuit, where it will continue to captivate audiences as both a sonic experience and a fashion-forward visual saga. It’s a bold next chapter for Miss Velvet, whose past includes world tours with George Clinton, who called her voice “the definition of rock n’ roll,” and collaborations with Empire of the Sun’s Nick Littlemore.
With Triptych, Miss Velvet further blurs the lines between rock star, auteur, tastemaker, and spiritual seeker.
After the screening, Miss Velvet said, “To be back in L.A., surrounded by so much love, felt like a rebirth. The festival itself had its finger on the pulse of talent and held it with such care. Screening Triptych at Regal Cinemas, which has some of the best sound and screens in the country, was unforgettable. It showed me how much they truly value the work. And for me, it was more than just a win. It was a moment of return. Of becoming. And really… It’s just the beginning.”