Veils

Clarity EP

Written by: AP on 06/02/2012 17:02:21

In keeping with current trends, Veils borrow heavily from the wave (which by now everyone should recognise as the resurgence of classic screamo influenced melodic hardcore bands in the last few years) to shape the gruelling, yet expansive sound featured on this new EP of theirs. "Clarity" bears all the hallmarks of the movement, from the crushing despair entrenched in their vocalist's high pitch screaming to the somber guitar melodies lingering in the background like the soundtrack to an independent movie about a decaying smalltown populated by people with nothing left to give.

"Standing Alone" and "Caves (Anxiety)" capture this mood with frightening accuracy: the former haunted by the agonizing screams of "Just remember to feel the warmth of the sun / Just remember to feel the air in your lungs / I am reminded of the power deep within ourselves / It's enough, it's enough, it's enough to bring her back" against the backdrop of massive, crushing instrumentation, and the latter pulsating with sudden eruptions of rage before repeatedly crashing into slumps of tortured screams and gently reverberating clean guitar; the sound of a man overcome by his hopeless prospects. "Stallions (Adrenaline)" continues in similar fashion, but lives up to its title with a more energetic, galloping rhythm section; the surge of momentary boldness rushing to his veins like poison in anticipation of the ensuing disaster in "Strongold (Destruction)", the instruments collapsing around him in embers. What then follows is acceptance and epiphany in "Surrender (Clarity)", which winds into a brooding, slow burning crescendo before concluding this tale of torment.

As pretentious as such a narrative may sound in place of a more critical glimpse of what Veils have accomplished here, it really is the only way to accurately condense the essence of "Clarity" into words. It is not an EP defined by groundbreaking ideas or otherwordly musicianship, but rather, the coming together of a handful of musicians in perfect symbiosis to create songs in which the musicians complement and reciprocate one another so as to create not merely music, but a feeling. A feeling conveyed through the kind of poetic short story that is the staple of the wave movement.

It may not be as instantly gripping as Touché Amoré's "Parting the Sea between Brightness and Me", as tormenting as La Dispute's "Wildlife", or as insightful as Defeater's "Empty Days & Sleepless Nights", but the careful composition of the songs still makes for a powerful and invigorating listening experience. Veils are not yet able to produce the kind of grandeur that the aforementioned bands have in the last year, but if this EP is any forecast for what the eventual full-length will offer, then we are in for some genuinely harrowing stuff.

8

Download: Standing Alone (Isolation), Caves (Anxiety), Stallions (Adrenaline), Stronghold (Destruction)
For the fans of: Pianos Become the Teeth, The Saddest Landscape, Troubled Coast
Listen: Facebook

Release date 30.01.2012
Tangled Talk Records

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