The Veils It has been a somewhat undervalued band in these latitudes, one of those to which moderate attention has been paid and which, with the passage of time, seem to have definitely fallen into oblivion. And that the project led by Finn Andrews (son of XTC’s Barry Andrews) has left titles as interesting as that title premiere “The Runaway Found” (Rough Trade, 04) –produced by Bernard Butler–, “Nux Vomica” (Rough Trade, 06) o “Sun Gangs” (Rough Trade, 09).
They were, all of them, grateful indie-pop records of guitars not without a certain feeling, with a British aroma (although the author grew up in New Zealand) and capable of hosting a good number of outstanding references. A trend that Andrews has been changing in his recent deliveries – of the type of “Total Depravity” (Nettwerk, 16)– and that, in “…And Out Of The Void Came Love”, commitment to a definitive and palpable creative maturity as a flag. The vocalist portrays darker or more romantic settings than usual, even postulating himself as a punctual crooner. In practice, the result does not quite fit him (at least continuously) and, although this reference is an ambitious, well-constructed album with notable stretches, at times it also becomes too dense and monotonous, especially during his last part. The album opens with more digestible pieces of the type of “Time”, “No Limit Of Stars” or the rough “Bullfighter (Hand Of God)” –which could have been signed by contemporaries of The Veils as they are Archie Bronson Outfit–. It is in its second half when the matter becomes extremely serious and at times taciturn, in a definitive act that includes pieces such as “Made From Love With Far To Go” (with Nick Cave as a reference), “Between The Ocean And The Storm” or the final “Cradle Song” con ecos a Tindersticks.
“…And Out Of The Void Came Love” It is, in reality, the logical step for an artist fully immersed in maturity and facing a necessary movement with which to avoid creative stagnation. But, in practice, the movement in question does not fully crystallize and extends too much, leaving behind a somewhat irregular work with two parts so differentiable that it is difficult to understand them as sides of the same coin. And the truth is that The Veils seem to be better at making another type of less deep song, a field in which they reaped not a few targets.