Globally-acclaimed Kiwi indie band The Veils have returned with a new album - and Kiwi fans will be able to catch them on tour in the coming days.
Their seventh studio album, Asphodels, was released at the end of January, and features singles including The Ladder and O Fortune Teller.
Lead singer Finn Andrews says he's looking forward to sharing the new album with Kiwi fans as part of their upcoming tour of New Zealand.
"I've always just used songwriting as a way to try and process these thoughts that are too big for my daily life - there's big questions that elude me and elude everyone else, I suppose."
LISTEN ABOVE OR WATCH EXCLUSIVE PERFORMANCE BELOW
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
This is Mortal Wound.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
From the Vales. This is the third single of their
new album, Aspidels, released in January. Aspidels is a seventh
studio album from the globally loved British Kiwi indie band
The Veils, back in New Zealand after a big UK
and Europe tour, with gigs set to start here this Friday.
Lead singer Finn Andrews is here with me now. Good morning, Finn,
so lovely to have you in the studio.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
Good morning, thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
You've spent the last couple of months in the UK
and Europe. How did the European tour go?
Speaker 5 (00:43):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (00:44):
It was. It was fantastic. I think we've never had
a tour quite like it. Actually, really really enlivening middle
of winter, which was a shock after we've been living
on waihiki before that. So it went from sort of
high summer to northern Germany in January and that was
genuinely bracing, but great, great shows.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Did I hear that one of your favorite things almost
tour was trying a Sicilian orange.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
That's got around, that's got around. Yeah, it was towards
the end of the tour and we were all quite
malnourished at that point, and we were playing in Rome
and just walked past this little grosser and got this
bag of oranges and we all, yeah, had this sort
of outer body experience with these incredible oranges.
Speaker 5 (01:31):
That's middle. Yes, I love it.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Let's talk about the album Aspidels. Where did that title
come from?
Speaker 4 (01:41):
It was from a poem that my dad sent me,
and the word just stuck in my head and in
this magical way that seems to happen, a song kind
of bloomed out of that word, and then the album
sort of followed from that. So yeah, I think I
like the idea of it. It's from the sort of
(02:03):
Greek classical method, and it's the flower of the underworld,
the flower that lives forever in death, and yeah, it
kind of tied the room together with this record, which
is which is pretty obsessed with sort of matters of
life and death and purpose.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Yeah, why is that? Where does that come from?
Speaker 4 (02:27):
It's a great question. I don't know. I think I've
always just used songwriting as a way to try and
process these thoughts that are too big for my daily life.
I think, these big questions that elude me and elude everyone,
I suppose. But yeah, sort of songs are a way
(02:50):
of filtering through those those thoughts and trying to make
some sense of the kind of chaos of everyday life.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
I suppose have those thoughts changed since you've become a father,
You've got a toddler in the family.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Now, Oh yeah, she's completely reconfigured my world in so
many amazing ways. Yeah, I think it does. It makes you.
It was also I had children a little later than
someone I'm forty now, and so it's sort of was
kind of paired with a bit of a midlife sort
of questioning as well. I suppose it certainly makes you ponder.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Yeah, the midlife come at any time and in many
different shapes.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Yeah, I seem to be getting intermittient stabs of it.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Is it true that you got chat chpt to write
the bluepes about your songs?
Speaker 5 (03:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Well yes, that was specifically if the label wanted, like,
you know, a breakdown of all of the songs, not
for any human to read, but just to give to
Spotify to put in. So I just got chat GBT
to write it. It did a really good job. It said, yeah,
a lot of things. I didn't realize that the songs
were about, but it was enlightening.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
So why didn't you try and sum them up? Was
it just was it a time issue or was it
just out of curiosity to see how they potentially to
be interpreted.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
I just couldn't think of a worse use of time
than sitting down having to explain what each of these
songs meant. I don't. I really think I'm the last
person that anyone should ask about them as well. So
just like I'm so close to them, I don't remember
writing them, you know, so it's like I feel like
my interpretation is the least interesting generally, So I thought,
(04:34):
why not use this, you know, use of may I.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
When you say you can't remember writing them, is that
because they you can't remember what was on your mind
at that time, or they just sort of come quite
fast and furious and then you're in there and there
it is.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
I think, Yeah. I think like everyone has a thing
they do that they enjoy because they disappear a bit
when they're doing it, and you know, whether it's sort
of going to the gym more sailing or running or
I don't know, or yeah, playing music or we kind
of lose yourself, and that's that's. Yeah, when I'm writing songs,
(05:14):
I when I'm writing a song, a good song, I
tend to not really be there anymore. And that's I
think that there's that's where the pleasure lies as well. Yeah,
so it's you know, I don't really remember a lot
of the time what I was thinking.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
And do you remember recording because I know that that
was a bit of a treat for you. You recorded
at Neil Fin's Roundhead Studios.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Yeah. Yeah, it's a beautiful studio here that we're all
very lucky to have where we recorded it in three days,
which was very very quick, and or recorded it like
the records I grew up loving really in the fifties
and sixties, all recorded to tape or recorded live. Yeah,
(06:03):
it was very a very sort of old school production.
It's a shame because I love recording and I could
easily spend years in the studio, so doing it in
three days was very restrained, and I instantly regretted it
because I wanted more time in there. It's so fun
in there. But I think it suited these songs. We
wanted to make something really intimate and direct and like
(06:25):
like we're just in the room with you, so that
that seemed like the best way to do it.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Oh, you definitely achieved that, Coure. This is the Veil
seventh album, the first The Runaway Found turned twenty last year.
I hate to say this. I mean, you did sign.
Let's put things into context. You did sign your first
record deal when you were sixteen, which is very young.
But two decades in this music industry. What have you
(06:50):
learned about music and recording albums in twenty years.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Yeah, I mean I've learned so much. I didn't know
a thing when I started. Obviously, it was still just
a child, and I don't know what have I learned.
And I've learned. I've learned to relax with myself. I
think in the beginning I was terrified of everything and
felt like such an impost and the whole thing. And
now now I'm just sort of content with being an
(07:19):
impostor and it's okay. You just sort of I think
you always feel a bit like that. You just do
what feels right and try to sort of block out
everything else, just carry on, keep making things for as
long as I possibly can.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Because it's been an extraordinary twenty years. And I thought
of you actually earlier in the year when David Lyunch died,
because of course you worked with him and appeared on
the Twin Peaks series, which must have been one of
the highlights of the last twenty years.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Oh yeah, that was that was great. It was a
great weekend. Our keyboardist at the time was he was
very good at I don't know, sort of seizing an opportunity,
and so he was just like, we're going to make
this the best weekend of our lives. And he rented
like a a Mustang convertible in Los Angeles and we
(08:09):
went to the filming and felt like kind of decks
but awesome as well.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Right, you know you're going to get the chance to
do that.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Yeah, we thought that was a good time to do it.
But yeah, it was amazing working with him. Just being
in that world for a brief time was a real privilege,
and it was very sad to see him pass.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
How much do you love taking an album and then
performing it on stage. You've got a tour coming.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Up, Yeah we do.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Yeah, we're playing all over the country.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
It's a.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
It was a beautiful thing on the European Talk so
that the album came out the day before the first show,
so it really was like this introduction to everyone of
the record, and yeah, so I guess it'll feel like
that here as well. People have had a little more
time now to to get to grips with the record.
And I think because this was such a such a
it's such an intimate, restrained album, I wasn't really sure
(09:08):
what the reaction to it would be. I was sort
of imagining it would be quite a restrained reaction. But
it's had a very very immediate I'm not just saying
this in promo mode, but sort of like the record before,
it was sort of people liked a few songs on it,
but I didn't feel this sort of immediate people bringing
it into their lives in such a big way so quickly.
(09:28):
This record seems to have had that effect. And so yeah,
it's really obviously the more intense these songs sort of
have have intertwined with people's lives more intensely they've been
intertwined with people's lives, the more intense the live shows
are as well, And so yeah, we're really looking forward
to taking it on the road, taking it around New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Well, we are very excited because you're going to perform
a number for us, now, aren't you?
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Yes, yes, we are.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
What are we going to? What are you?
Speaker 3 (09:56):
You've got Dave here on violin. What are you two
going to perform?
Speaker 4 (09:59):
We're going to play a song called Oh Fortune Teller,
which was kind of inspired. I think we made a
few record in Los Angeles over the years, and they
have this fantastic Fortune Tellers sort of shops, stores, storefronts there.
They always have this sort of the palmistry hands and
the neon and yeah, we sort of I've visited a
(10:21):
few over the years. I've always found the idea of
sort of wanting to know the future is an odd
thing when when the prisoner is so overwhelming, I don't know,
the idea of knowing the future maybe that's too much. Yeah,
So it's kind of a song about that, a song
about longing for the to know the future, but being
afraid of too much information, terrifying information.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Right, let's do it.
Speaker 5 (10:46):
Here we go, All ful.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Teller, down't tell me too, We crossy soil with sil
(11:13):
we talked.
Speaker 5 (11:16):
Too, have been all with no love.
Speaker 6 (11:42):
To show you tell me all lovebout and I don't die.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
I just leaved grow way we saved sign.
Speaker 7 (12:08):
Inside oh.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Me said inside.
Speaker 7 (12:23):
Inside oh oo, you counted on my things.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
And deniedly.
Speaker 5 (12:56):
Then blow.
Speaker 6 (13:02):
You read it so much Slot, It.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Just grows, FA grows a group. Say and side and side,
Oh say side and side.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
That was absolutely extraordinary. Thank you so much, so so
much for coming in and performing for us, Than Andrews,
best of luck with the tour, and thank you so
much to Dave on the violin as well.
Speaker 4 (14:26):
Thanks for having us.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Real Pleasure Aspideals is available on CD and vinyl now.
The Vals are also touring New Zealand from this Friday.
For both album and tour details, head to Banished music
dot com.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks A B from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
This is Mortal Wound.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
From the Vales. This is the third single of their
new album, Aspidels, released in January. Aspidels is a seventh
studio album from the globally loved British Kiwi indie band
The Veils, back in New Zealand after a big UK
and Europe tour, with gigs set to start here this Friday.
Lead singer Finn Andrews is here with me now. Good morning, Finn,
so lovely to have you in the studio.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
Good morning, thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
You've spent the last couple of months in the UK
and Europe. How did the European tour go?
Speaker 5 (00:43):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (00:44):
It was. It was fantastic. I think we've never had
a tour quite like it. Actually, really really enlivening middle
of winter, which was a shock after we've been living
on waihiki before that. So it went from sort of
high summer to northern Germany in January and that was
genuinely bracing, but great, great shows.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Did I hear that one of your favorite things almost
tour was trying a Sicilian orange.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
That's got around, that's got around. Yeah, it was towards
the end of the tour and we were all quite
malnourished at that point, and we were playing in Rome
and just walked past this little grosser and got this
bag of oranges and we all, yeah, had this sort
of outer body experience with these incredible oranges.
Speaker 5 (01:31):
That's middle. Yes, I love it.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Let's talk about the album Aspidels. Where did that title
come from?
Speaker 4 (01:41):
It was from a poem that my dad sent me,
and the word just stuck in my head and in
this magical way that seems to happen, a song kind
of bloomed out of that word, and then the album
sort of followed from that. So yeah, I think I
like the idea of it. It's from the sort of
(02:03):
Greek classical method, and it's the flower of the underworld,
the flower that lives forever in death, and yeah, it
kind of tied the room together with this record, which
is which is pretty obsessed with sort of matters of
life and death and purpose.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
Yeah, why is that? Where does that come from?
Speaker 4 (02:27):
It's a great question. I don't know. I think I've
always just used songwriting as a way to try and
process these thoughts that are too big for my daily life.
I think, these big questions that elude me and elude everyone,
I suppose. But yeah, sort of songs are a way
(02:50):
of filtering through those those thoughts and trying to make
some sense of the kind of chaos of everyday life.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
I suppose have those thoughts changed since you've become a father,
You've got a toddler in the family.
Speaker 4 (03:04):
Now, Oh yeah, she's completely reconfigured my world in so
many amazing ways. Yeah, I think it does. It makes you.
It was also I had children a little later than
someone I'm forty now, and so it's sort of was
kind of paired with a bit of a midlife sort
of questioning as well. I suppose it certainly makes you ponder.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Yeah, the midlife come at any time and in many
different shapes.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Yeah, I seem to be getting intermittient stabs of it.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Is it true that you got chat chpt to write
the bluepes about your songs?
Speaker 5 (03:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Well yes, that was specifically if the label wanted, like,
you know, a breakdown of all of the songs, not
for any human to read, but just to give to
Spotify to put in. So I just got chat GBT
to write it. It did a really good job. It said, yeah,
a lot of things. I didn't realize that the songs
were about, but it was enlightening.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
So why didn't you try and sum them up? Was
it just was it a time issue or was it
just out of curiosity to see how they potentially to
be interpreted.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
I just couldn't think of a worse use of time
than sitting down having to explain what each of these
songs meant. I don't. I really think I'm the last
person that anyone should ask about them as well. So
just like I'm so close to them, I don't remember
writing them, you know, so it's like I feel like
my interpretation is the least interesting generally, So I thought,
(04:34):
why not use this, you know, use of may I.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
When you say you can't remember writing them, is that
because they you can't remember what was on your mind
at that time, or they just sort of come quite
fast and furious and then you're in there and there
it is.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
I think, Yeah. I think like everyone has a thing
they do that they enjoy because they disappear a bit
when they're doing it, and you know, whether it's sort
of going to the gym more sailing or running or
I don't know, or yeah, playing music or we kind
of lose yourself, and that's that's. Yeah, when I'm writing songs,
(05:14):
I when I'm writing a song, a good song, I
tend to not really be there anymore. And that's I
think that there's that's where the pleasure lies as well. Yeah,
so it's you know, I don't really remember a lot
of the time what I was thinking.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
And do you remember recording because I know that that
was a bit of a treat for you. You recorded
at Neil Fin's Roundhead Studios.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
Yeah. Yeah, it's a beautiful studio here that we're all
very lucky to have where we recorded it in three days,
which was very very quick, and or recorded it like
the records I grew up loving really in the fifties
and sixties, all recorded to tape or recorded live. Yeah,
(06:03):
it was very a very sort of old school production.
It's a shame because I love recording and I could
easily spend years in the studio, so doing it in
three days was very restrained, and I instantly regretted it
because I wanted more time in there. It's so fun
in there. But I think it suited these songs. We
wanted to make something really intimate and direct and like
(06:25):
like we're just in the room with you, so that
that seemed like the best way to do it.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Oh, you definitely achieved that, Coure. This is the Veil
seventh album, the first The Runaway Found turned twenty last year.
I hate to say this. I mean, you did sign.
Let's put things into context. You did sign your first
record deal when you were sixteen, which is very young.
But two decades in this music industry. What have you
(06:50):
learned about music and recording albums in twenty years.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Yeah, I mean I've learned so much. I didn't know
a thing when I started. Obviously, it was still just
a child, and I don't know what have I learned.
And I've learned. I've learned to relax with myself. I
think in the beginning I was terrified of everything and
felt like such an impost and the whole thing. And
now now I'm just sort of content with being an
(07:19):
impostor and it's okay. You just sort of I think
you always feel a bit like that. You just do
what feels right and try to sort of block out
everything else, just carry on, keep making things for as
long as I possibly can.
Speaker 3 (07:37):
Because it's been an extraordinary twenty years. And I thought
of you actually earlier in the year when David Lyunch died,
because of course you worked with him and appeared on
the Twin Peaks series, which must have been one of
the highlights of the last twenty years.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Oh yeah, that was that was great. It was a
great weekend. Our keyboardist at the time was he was
very good at I don't know, sort of seizing an opportunity,
and so he was just like, we're going to make
this the best weekend of our lives. And he rented
like a a Mustang convertible in Los Angeles and we
(08:09):
went to the filming and felt like kind of decks
but awesome as well.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Right, you know you're going to get the chance to
do that.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Yeah, we thought that was a good time to do it.
But yeah, it was amazing working with him. Just being
in that world for a brief time was a real privilege,
and it was very sad to see him pass.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
How much do you love taking an album and then
performing it on stage. You've got a tour coming.
Speaker 5 (08:37):
Up, Yeah we do.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Yeah, we're playing all over the country.
Speaker 5 (08:43):
It's a.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
It was a beautiful thing on the European Talk so
that the album came out the day before the first show,
so it really was like this introduction to everyone of
the record, and yeah, so I guess it'll feel like
that here as well. People have had a little more
time now to to get to grips with the record.
And I think because this was such a such a
it's such an intimate, restrained album, I wasn't really sure
(09:08):
what the reaction to it would be. I was sort
of imagining it would be quite a restrained reaction. But
it's had a very very immediate I'm not just saying
this in promo mode, but sort of like the record before,
it was sort of people liked a few songs on it,
but I didn't feel this sort of immediate people bringing
it into their lives in such a big way so quickly.
(09:28):
This record seems to have had that effect. And so yeah,
it's really obviously the more intense these songs sort of
have have intertwined with people's lives more intensely they've been
intertwined with people's lives, the more intense the live shows
are as well, And so yeah, we're really looking forward
to taking it on the road, taking it around New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Well, we are very excited because you're going to perform
a number for us, now, aren't you?
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Yes, yes, we are.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
What are we going to? What are you?
Speaker 3 (09:56):
You've got Dave here on violin. What are you two
going to perform?
Speaker 4 (09:59):
We're going to play a song called Oh Fortune Teller,
which was kind of inspired. I think we made a
few record in Los Angeles over the years, and they
have this fantastic Fortune Tellers sort of shops, stores, storefronts there.
They always have this sort of the palmistry hands and
the neon and yeah, we sort of I've visited a
(10:21):
few over the years. I've always found the idea of
sort of wanting to know the future is an odd
thing when when the prisoner is so overwhelming, I don't know,
the idea of knowing the future maybe that's too much. Yeah,
So it's kind of a song about that, a song
about longing for the to know the future, but being
afraid of too much information, terrifying information.
Speaker 3 (10:45):
Right, let's do it.
Speaker 5 (10:46):
Here we go, All ful.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Teller, down't tell me too, We crossy soil with sil
(11:13):
we talked.
Speaker 5 (11:16):
Too, have been all with no love.
Speaker 6 (11:42):
To show you tell me all lovebout and I don't die.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
I just leaved grow way we saved sign.
Speaker 7 (12:08):
Inside oh.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
Me said inside.
Speaker 7 (12:23):
Inside oh oo, you counted on my things.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
And deniedly.
Speaker 5 (12:56):
Then blow.
Speaker 6 (13:02):
You read it so much Slot, It.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Just grows, FA grows a group. Say and side and side,
Oh say side and side.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
That was absolutely extraordinary. Thank you so much, so so
much for coming in and performing for us, Than Andrews,
best of luck with the tour, and thank you so
much to Dave on the violin as well.
Speaker 4 (14:26):
Thanks for having us.
Speaker 3 (14:27):
Real Pleasure Aspideals is available on CD and vinyl now.
The Vals are also touring New Zealand from this Friday.
For both album and tour details, head to Banished music
dot com.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks A B from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com