Their sound has been compared to artists as diverse as Jeff Buckley, The Birthday Party, The Smiths, and Joy Division. Their live shows have become famed for their emotional intensity and Finn's often scarily possessed stage presence and his unique singing voice.
They released their debut album, The Runaway Found, in Spain late in 2003. The first single from the album, Lavinia, was released through Rough Trade on November 24, 2003. They released the album globally in January 2004 with a different track listing. It went gold worldwide the following year.
The original lineup of The Veils (which included Oli Drake, Ben Woollacott and Adam Kinsella) disbanded in late 2004, and Andrews returned to New Zealand in order to find a new lineup. He spent the New Zealand summer rehearsing with high school classmates Liam Gerrard (keyboards) and Sophia Burn (bass), and the trio returned to London early 2005. There they got connected to Dan Raishbrook (Guitar) and Henning Dietz (drums). However Liam Gerrard left the band half way into their American tour in 2007.
The group recorded their second album Nux Vomica at Underbelly Studios in Los Angeles, with producer Nick Launay, and the album was released September 18, 2006. The album features string arrangements by ex-Lounge Lizard and long time Lou Reed collaborator Jane Scarpontoni. Nux Vomica featured on 9 critics' Best Of The Year lists in 2006.
In the 16 months following the release of Nux Vomica The Veils played over 250 shows across 15 countries and during the U.S. leg of the tour it was announced that keyboardist Liam Gerrard would leave the band to return home to New Zealand due to personal reasons. The Veils carried on as a four piece and, whilst living out of a classic car garage in Oklahoma City, started recording new demos between playing shows on the east and west coasts of the America. By mid-2008 they were back to London to begin work on their third album with producer Graham Sutton. The recording sessions at West Point Studios lasted only three weeks and at the end of the summer the album was done and ready to be mixed. In March 2009 they began touring the new songs in Europe and America with new drummer Raife Burchell (of Jetplane Landing), after Henning Dietz' defection. Sun Gangs was released on April 6 2009 and was featured in many websites top albums of 2009.
The band spent the summer of 2010 working on new material. On December 6 it was announced that a new 7 song EP entitled Troubles of the Brain is set to be released on January 24, and that the band had left Rough Trade after almost 9 years and started their own label, Pitch Beast Records. The EP is produced by Finn Andrews and Bernard Butler and was recorded at Finn's home studio in London.
In mid 2012 The Veils threatened legal action on UK hardcore band Veils due to the similarity in name. This forced Veils to alter the spelling of their name to Vales.
The Veils released their next album in april 2013 titled , ‘Time Stays, We Go’ in April 2013. Three years later Total Depravity (2016) saw the daylight.
In 2016 David Lynch revealed that Finn would appear in the new series of Twin Peaks due to air early 2017.
In 2023 The Veils released ...And Out of the Void Came Love after a long struggle with songwriting that only came together after the birth of Andrews' first child. The COVID pandemic had seen the departure of longtime members Dietz and Burn (who had been the longest continuous presence in the band after Andrews) and the arrival of Tiny Ruins bassist Cass Basil.
Not Yet
The Veils Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Buried out in Wilson fields
Mama'd tell me all she thought
Mama'd tell me all how riding feels
And I thought
Not yet
No one ever rode that horse
Until one night I stole her key
And I did ride it all night 'till dawn
When I thought
Not yet
It looks an ugly world out there
Of girl-guides and disease and war
I love my little velvet bed
I never want to leave it anymore
At least
Not yet
Charlie was the first I caught
And Charlie was the first I begged
To lay an anchor in my heart
He was running his fingers down the inside of my legs
When I thought
Not yet
All my fears will come to me in dreams
Maybe the end ain't as far as it seems
Not yet revived but not yet mourned
Not quite denied just not yet born
The Veils' song Not Yet is a melancholic and introspective piece that tells a story of a young girl's coming-of-age journey through her relationships and experiences. The song begins with the singer's memories of her mother, who used to ride a horse and share her thoughts and feelings with her daughter. The horse is no longer ridden after the mother's passing until one night, the singer breaks into the stable and rides it all night, experiencing something new and exhilarating, but still thinking that it's not yet the time.
The song then continues with the singer's perception of the world as she grows up, realizing that it's not always a pleasant place, full of disease and war. Despite this, she finds comfort in her own small world, her room, and her bed, not yet ready to face the outside world. Her introverted tendencies clash with her desire for love and companionship, as she meets Charlie, who becomes the object of her affection. However, even in this relationship, she feels a sense of hesitation, thinking that it's still not yet the time for her to experience more.
Overall, the lyrics of Not Yet can be interpreted as a reflection of the uncertainty and fear that comes with growing up and facing the unknown, while still trying to hold on to moments of comfort and safety. The singer realizes that there's a lot of life ahead of her, yet she's not yet ready to face it, creating a bittersweet feeling of anticipation and apprehension.
Line by Line Meaning
Mama, when she'd ride that horse
My mother used to go horseback riding.
Buried out in Wilson fields
Her body is now buried in the Wilson fields.
Mama'd tell me all she thought
She used to tell me about everything on her mind.
Mama'd tell me all how riding feels
Including how she felt about horseback riding.
And I thought
I had my own thoughts on the matter.
Not yet
But I wasn't ready to share them yet.
Then when mama got too old
When my mother grew too old to ride.
No one ever rode that horse
Nobody ever rode that horse again.
Until one night I stole her key
Except for the night when I snuck in and took her key.
And I did ride it all night 'till dawn
I rode that horse all night long until the sun came up.
It looks an ugly world out there
The world can be a harsh and ugly place.
Of girl-guides and disease and war
Full of things like girls scouts, illnesses, and wars.
I love my little velvet bed
I love my comfortable bed covered in velvet.
I never want to leave it anymore
I don't want to leave it and face the world outside.
At least
At least, not yet.
Charlie was the first I caught
Charlie was the first guy I caught the attention of.
And Charlie was the first I begged
I begged Charlie to be with me.
To lay an anchor in my heart
To be the one who captured my heart and stayed with me.
He was running his fingers down the inside of my legs
He was touching me in an intimate way.
All my fears will come to me in dreams
I am afraid of what will happen and my fears haunt me in my dreams.
Maybe the end ain't as far as it seems
Maybe the end of something is closer than I think.
Not yet revived but not yet mourned
Something has not yet come back to life, but it has not yet been completely mourned either.
Not quite denied just not yet born
Something has not yet been born into existence, but it has not yet been completely denied either.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: FINN ANDREWS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind