The Veils' Sun Gangs

The Veils are centered around on Finn Andrews. Over the course of his career Andrews and the Veils have weathered many false starts with various line ups and incarnations of the band. Miraculously they're still around. Stabilized at long last, Finn's new band includes Sophia Burn (bass), Henning Dietz (drums), and Dan Raishbrook (guitar). With the line up solidified and things seemingly normal it only makes sense that The Veils should release a new record. And they have, their latest album goes by the title Sun Gangs.

Sun Gangsis an emotional journey that will leave you sweaty, beaten, bruised, and jarred. This is a record that's unashamedly filled with anguish and moodiness which is occasionally hidden in the form of a pop song. There are times, however, when The Veils can't escape the overwhelming sense of desolation that follows them and the songs as a result take a downtrodden, downtempo, nearly folky approach. While these songs convey the emotional ringing that Sun Gangsis centered around (see the piano led title track), the band really excels at creating noisy Radioheadish spurts of pop.

When The Veils turn up the noise and let the hooks fly, they are capable of creating fantastic dark dream pop that's as stirring as it is haunting. "The Letter," for example, is a soaring pop song that masterfully veers through quiet/loud dynamics as if it being led by Thom Yorke himself. It's ethereal stuff that's exceptionally good. "Killed By the Boom," on the other hand is a far more angst ridden song that's distorted, urgent, and slightly panicked. It's jumpy, loud and mixes electronic squibbles and blurbs with a broken drum beat and Finn's possessed vocals.

Sun Gangs whether quietly moody or rambunctious is a fantastic ride through the inner workings of The Veils founder Finn Andrews. His grey matter makes for an absorbing soundtrack and his, as well as his band's, ability to switch so easily from reserved numbers to songs that explode with intensity makes Sun Gangs an impressive effort. One for all you moody folks out there.