The Veils Announce New Album 'Asphodels' - out 24 January

Today, The Veils announce their new album, Asphodels, out January 24th via V2 Records, and present its new single/video ‘The Ladder’. Following their charged 2023 album ‘...And Out Of The Void Came Love’, The Veils’ seventh full-length gives a real sense of self-reflection and private reckoning. The English/New Zealand band fronted by singer and songwriter Finn Andrews give us a taste of what’s to come with the release of ‘The Ladder’:

“After almost two decades of writing songs exclusively about love and death, it's nice to finally write something about home DIY equipment. This is unfortunately only partially true and it is ultimately, of course, a song about love and death.” says lead singer and songwriter Finn Andrews.

‘The Ladder’ was initially inspired by the crazed and mystical paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, who often painted ladders as routes to psychological exploration. Andrews explains, “It’s about the longing to transcend the relentless chaos of our world, I suppose. But don’t let that description get you down, it’s also a jaunty little number.” The string arrangements were written to sound more like another member of the band, as opposed to something just laid haphazardly over the top. They rise and fall in unison with the band, and are the star of the record. Andrews continues, “This harks back to all the old records I grew up listening to in my youth, recorded in times before multitrack recording where the band would all be in one room gathered around a single microphone.”

The Veils debut album ‘The Runaway Found’ turned 20 last year which provided lead singer/songwriter Finn Andrews with a healthy dose of existential dread. “I feel as though this album is the end result of a now disconcertingly long career in music,” says Andrews. “I think after your 7th album, much like turning 40, you should really just stop counting. I’ve learned a lot along the way, which I suppose is the whole point, and I’ve really distilled it all into these 9 songs.”

The album takes its name from the Ancient Greek flower of the Underworld, and lyrically, Andrews draws more from poets like Federico García Lorca, Ted Hughes or Louis MacNeice than he does from the well of more traditional rock and roll songwriters. The collaboration between Andrews and string arranger Victoria Kelly is also a central aspect to the record, and as with the band’s previous album ‘...And Out Of The Void Came Love’, Kelly plays a large role in bringing the songs to life.

Watch the video for 'The Ladder' here

A Note on Asphodels from Finn Andrews:

For reasons as yet unidentified by either personal reflection or intensive therapy, I have only ever written songs about love or death. Both subjects are a regular presence in the great river of song for sure, but I have often wondered: would it kill me to write about something else for a change? There’s a lot of other topics to explore in this rich and varied world. How about paragliding? Or calculus? Or the last days of the Neo-Babylonian empire? Anyway, this is an album about love and death. I’m very proud of it, and I hope it might provide you with the same solace and insight that it has so generously afforded me. I am grateful to all the enviably talented musicians that helped make it, to Victoria Kelly for writing the most spectacular string arrangements, and to Paddy Hill at Roundhead who so expertly engineered and mixed it all, live to tape, as the warm, analogue Gods intended.

Pre-ordering a vinyl, buying a couple of show tickets, ordering your mum a T-shirt - these are the small acts of love that keep this whole enterprise going so I am immensely grateful to all of you who continue to support us after all these years.

As always, come up and say hi.

A Brief History of The Veils

Since being signed to Rough Trade when lead singer Finn Andrews was 16 years old, The Veils have now released seven studio albums: The Runaway Found (2004), Nux Vomica (2006), Sun Gangs (2009), TimeStays We Go (2013), Total Depravity (2016), ...And Out Of The Void Came Love (2023), and Asphodels (2025). Finn’s debut solo album One Piece At A Time was released in 2019. The Veils have toured consistently throughout their over twenty-year history and garnered a formidable reputation as one of the world’s greatest live bands. They have also been praised by film directors Paolo Sorrentino, Tim Burton and David Lynch who have all used their music on their soundtracks.

European/UK Tour, 2025

• Sat 25 January - Antwerp - Trix Club
• Sun 26 January - Paris - Point Ephemere
• Mon 27 January - Rotterdam - Lantaren Venster
• Wed 29 January - Nijmegen - Doornroosje
• Thu 30 January - Amsterdam - Paradiso
• Fri 31 January - Groningen - Vera
• Sat 1 February - Köln - Artheater
• Mon 3 February - Copenhagen - Ideal Bar
• Tue 4 February - Hamburg - Hafenklang
• Wed 5 February - Berlin - Lido
• Sat 8 February - Ravenna - Bronson
• Sun 9 February - Rome - Monk
• Mon 10 February - Milan - Legend
• Wed 12 February - Geneva TBA
• Thu 13 February - Zurich - Bogen F
• Fri 14 February - Torino - Spazio 211
• Sun 16 February - Manchester - Yes (Pink Room)
• Mon 17 February - Bristol - Thekla
• Tue 18 February - London - Union Chapel