The Veils are an English/New Zealand rock band fronted by singer and songwriter Finn Andrews. Having just announced their seventh studio album, Asphodels - due out on January 24th, 2025 on V2 Records / Banished From The Universe - The Veils give us a taste of what’s to come with the release of first single ‘The Ladder’
‘The Ladder’ was initially inspired by the crazed and mystical paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, who often painted ladders as routes to psychological exploration. Andrews explains, “It’s about the longing to transcend the relentless chaos of our world, I suppose. But don’t let that description get you down, it’s also a jaunty little number.”
To accompany the first single, The Veils have released a music video filmed on location at Parihoa on the west coast of Auckland, halfway between Muriwai and Te Henga. Director Tu Neill explains “When Finn first sent me the track, I kept thinking about big, beautiful landscape paintings and how many times I've looked at that view and how surreal it appears, like a painting. The song has a beautiful simplicity and is really stripped back like much of the album so it felt appropriate to make a video that reflected that pared back feeling. We joked about how this must be what middle age is like. Less noise, more to the point and feeling at ease with letting things speak for themselves.”
Asphodels was recorded live to tape over five days at Roundhead Studios in Aotearoa New Zealand, in the spring of 2023. “After almost two decades of writing songs exclusively about love and death, it's nice to finally write something about home DIY equipment. This is unfortunately only partially true and it is ultimately, of course, a song about love and death.” says lead singer and songwriter Finn Andrews.
The Veils debut album The Runaway Found turned 20 last year which provided lead singer/songwriter Finn Andrews with a healthy dose of existential dread. “I feel as though this album is the end result of a now disconcertingly long career in music,” says Andrews. “I think after your 7th album, much like turning 40, you should really just stop counting. I’ve learned a lot along the way, which I suppose is the whole point, and I’ve really distilled it all into these 9 songs.”
The album takes its name from the Ancient Greek flower of the Underworld, and lyrically, Andrews draws more from poets like Federico García Lorca, Ted Hughes or Louis MacNeice than he does from the well of more traditional rock and roll songwriters. The collaboration between Andrews and string arranger Victoria Kelly is also a central aspect to the record, and as with the band’s previous album …And Out Of The Void Came Love, Kelly plays a large role in bringing the songs to life. Andrews says “I really wanted the string arrangements to behave like another member of the band. We even fleshed the character out, like an actor playing a role. It’s this collaboration with Vic that is really at the centre of this record I think.”
The Veils made their glorious return to the stage in 2023/24 with sold out shows across Europe, North America & Australasia. The band will begin touring significantly again in support of Asphodels in early 2025.
Asphodels will be released on January 24, 2025 on V2 Records/ Banished From The Universe.
Preorders are now available from theveils.com/shop
A Brief History of The Veils
Since being signed to Rough Trade when lead singer Finn Andrews was 16 years old, The Veils have now released seven studio albums: The Runaway Found (2004), Nux Vomica (2006), Sun Gangs (2009), Time Stays, We Go (2013), Total Depravity (2016), ...And Out Of The Void Came Love (2023), Asphodels (2025). Finn’s debut solo album One Piece At A Time was released in 2019.
The Veils have toured consistently throughout their over twenty-year history and garnered a formidable reputation as one of the world’s greatest live bands. They have also been praised by film directors Paolo Sorrentino, Tim Burton and David Lynch who have all used their music on their soundtracks.
Finn now lives in Aotearoa New Zealand with his wife and daughter.
Previous praise for The Veils:
“Refreshingly passionate... Andrews rages with a Herculean intensity.” Guardian
“Horse-whipped, lightning-crash clamour... magnetic.” Pitchfork
“Finn Andrews doesn’t breathe the same air as the rest of us… essential for anyone who likes their music to stand metaphorically on a mountaintop and rage at distant stars.” The Observer
“One of the finest songwriters of his generation.” Drowned in Sound