written by Chris Familton

Finn Andrews has been toiling away under the moniker of The Veils since they released their debut The Runaway Found back in 2004. They followed it up with the fantastic and underrated Nux Vomica which seemed to attract critical acclaim but no groundswell of wider popularity. Their last release Sun Kings had moments of greatness but seemed to stray a little from the rancor and vigor of Nux Vomica. Now in 2011 we are graced with a new EP – Troubles Of The Brain – and it shows a definite swing of mood and weight from the grand Cave allusions to a sharper pop approach and some stellar songwriting.

Bloom is a shuffling, busy little gem of a tune that has the same momentum of fellow countrymen Surf City, albeit in a much cleaner fashion. It has allusions to post punk but it is strangely devoid of the gloom and heaviness of that genre’s progenitors like Joy Division. As quickly as they establish one mood The Veils spring the EP’s biggest surprise with a glam Bolan-esque stomp on Don’t Let The Same Bee Sting You Twice. It is a rollicking and bold statement of pop songwriting that you rarely hear these days. Wishbone takes things back into gothic territory but now it is more of the swampy kind complete with handclaps ominous guitar riffing and a general mood suggesting something bad is gonna happen.

The last trio of songs are all on a much quieter plane with Andrews making one of his few references to his hometown of Auckland, complete with lyrics about Grey Lynn Park and pohutukawa trees. It is a sad lament detailing that empty aftermath of a failed relationship. It is also a great example of the great voice that Andrews possesses – all aching melancholy, and when necessary, a passionate and primal pair of vocal cords. Us Godless Teenagers is stripped back to guitar and his voice that is almost overflowing from the speakers, so close and intimate it has been recorded. It makes for a haunting listen, like Thom Yorke at his most fragile. The final track Iodine And Iron sounds like it is recorded in the desert at night with no visible horizon. Reverb billows out into the nothingness with the final note hanging heavy in the air. As a parting song it seems a long distance from where the EP began with its bright colours and rhythms in motion.

Troubles Of The Brain covers more musical terrain than most full length albums but it does it with such grace and poise of construction that it would seem churlish to suggest that any forthcoming album could match these seven tracks.

this review first appeared on Fasterlouder