The Veils
Time Stays, We Go
Pitch Beast Recordings
In just under a decade The Veils have offered four albums and a couple of EPs and the quality of this output has, for the most part, been high. It’s easy for some to get annoyed with the cute parts of the back-story, Finn Andrews is the son of XTC’s Barry Andrews, and he spent his teen years schooling in New Zealand which means The Veils are often thought of as a Kiwi band when they’re not at all – but New Zealanders are funny like that. And/or a bunch of Kiwis are eager to fire up the knocking machine and right them off as nothing special at all because of the fact that there’s been some hype around the band.
Then there’s that fucking hat.
But Time Stays, We Go really is a career highlight – an album that comes out firing (Through The Deep, Dark Wood) and then hits a groove so seamless, so sure of itself (Train With No Name) before flowing on through moody new blues (Candy Apple Red) and the best new songs the Pixie will never write (Dancing With The Tornado).
It’s a phenomenal run actually – the best start to an album by The Veils, the best start to any album I’ve heard in some time, hints too of the energy of Modest Mouse and Nick Cave and still with just a glimpse of what Andrews gets, performance-wise, from Springsteen.
That’s always been part of the problem with The Veils though – they, erm, hang their hat up on a few racks, none of which they could claim entirely as their own.
Well, four albums in the band’s sound now feels clearly defined. They’re largely a cult act, their fans fiercely loyal of course. But this feels like the album that would serve as the perfect introduction. There’s some great pop-writing here (Turn From The Rain) and you can hear in these songs hints of what a great live band The Veils are.
Of course I’ve had that pleasure before – Andrews is a captivating live performing; his vocals real soar, he seems to live inside each song, there’s an intensity to the group’s performance that is palpable, there’s something truly remarkable about seeing this band firing.
And we’re going to get to hear them again live soon. Very soon.
And this new album certainly delivers the goods. It should be a stunning show.