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.
The Tide That Left and Never Came Back
The Veils Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It burns in my side
Ships are leaving
Shines so bright in the nightime
Though my memory's fading
It's you that I find
If only you could stay and,
The tide that left and never came back
Is on my mind tonight
'cause it's a small town
It misses you my love
The tide that left and never came back
Is on my mind tonight
'cause it's a small town
It misses you my love
I fall into a hole
Those sad stories you write
Your voice is so pretty
And it gets caught in the right rhyme
Though my memory's fading
It's you I find
If only you could stay and,
Leave me behind
The tide that left and never came back
Is on my mind tonight
'cause it's a small town
It misses you my love
The tide that left and never came back
Is on my mind tonight
'cause it's a small town
It misses you my love
The tide that left and never came back
Is on my mind tonight
'cause it's a small town
It misses you my love
It's a small town
It misses you my love
It's a small death
It's a broken town and,
It misses you my love
The Veils’s song “The Tide That Left and Never Came Back” presents a melancholic and introspective mood, inviting the listener to a personal journey alongside the singer's reflections on a lost love. The song starts with the image of being sick of the city, illustrating an insular feeling of discomfort and detachment towards urbanity, which is complemented by the versatile dynamism of the instrumental arrangement. The following verse, starting with “ships are leaving, shines so bright in the nighttime,” contrasts the singer’s static and passive state of mind with the vibrancy of the city and its constant changes.
However, it is the nostalgia for the past and the lost love that are the central themes of the song, presented through recurring motifs of memory and fading memories. The singer’s memories of the lost love are the only respite from the disaffection towards the city around them. The chorus’ repetition of “the tide that left and never came back” highlights the inevitably of change and the irrevocable loss of the past. This phrase alludes not only to a literal tide that has left but also to the emotional tide, which represents the singer's feeling that the relationship, although it will never be lost, has changed irreparably. The lyrics “if only you could stay and leave me behind” show the bittersweet feeling of nostalgia, wanting to return, while also understanding that this would cause further pain. The final lines “It's a small death, it's a broken town, and it misses you, my love,” serve as a culmination of the theme, emphasizing the negative impact of the loss of the relationship on the world around the singer.
In conclusion, the song describes a universal theme of loss, nostalgia, and the sense of homesickness caused by lost love. The lyrics take the listener on a personal journey through memories and faded dreams, captured by the vivid imagery portrayed in each verse.
Line by Line Meaning
Sick from the city
Feeling unwell and unhappy from being in the city
It burns in my side
Feeling a painful, burning sensation within me
Ships are leaving
The ships are departing from the city
Shines so bright in the nightime
The city lights are dazzling at night
Though my memory's fading
Despite my recollection becoming less clear
It's you that I find
My thoughts and feelings are centered on you
If only you could stay and,
If only you were able to remain with me
Leave me behind
Without worrying about or abandoning me
The tide that left and never came back
The sea level that departed and never returned
Is on my mind tonight
It is what I am thinking about this evening
'cause it's a small town
Due to the fact that it is a small community
It misses you my love
The town longs for your presence, my beloved
I fall into a hole
I get stuck in a melancholy place
Those sad stories you write
The sorrowful tales you put to paper
Your voice is so pretty
Your voice is melodious and beautiful
And it gets caught in the right rhyme
And it fits perfectly into the appropriate verse
It's a small death
It is a mini demise
It's a broken town and,
It is a shattered and dilapidated place
It misses you my love
The town misses you, my love
Contributed by Riley O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Richard Ramirez
The Veils are so fucking under-rated its almost criminal. Every album keeps getting better!!! I still remember years ago when this song/video just came out and I loved this track. I thought for sure they'd be huge. Well they should be much bigger & more known because their music is so much better than a lot of crap coming out these days.
Jeffrey R.
So you're saying they are a real neat band that I should check out? Okay i'm on it.
Julian Smith
I couldn't agree more!! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜😍😎
Pavel Abramov
I think the best band in the world don't care about ratings
JJD Drumming
The Runaway Found is just one of those timeless albums, it will always be dear to me. I think its a shame the original band split after the making of this record. Finn will always be amazing though!
Cuck_Socker
Finn Andrews is amazing. The emotion in his voice can't be fabricated.
All their albums are so different from each other, but yet so good in their own unique way.
Anna Frost
Morrissey would give his eye teeth to have written this song! Finn Andrew’s is a genius!
retrodreamer13
I first heard about them four years ago, and fell in love with them quite quickly. They're lovely.
polpetta1980
yes they are underrated basically everywhere, apart the UK I think! But they're really great, so sophisticated and intense...This is one of my favourite songs from their first album, even if I prefer the second one. I'm eager to listen to the new album!!! Does anyone know when it's going to be released??
equality53000
proof positive that its not impossible for actual MUSIC to be made these days. so why is almost no one doing it? and why are these guys so underrated? man, its so good.