VEILS - Fragile World

“And tell me if you can if this ain’t Hell
Then why are all the devils here as well?”

The world that inspires the eighth album by Veils is a planet in distress, inhabited by demons ready to seal its fate at any moment. A pessimistic but understandable vision, one that takes shape in the compositions of Finn Andrews, who, having effectively become a one-man band, creates a melancholy sonic universe in which his songs turn into small flickering lights capable of piercing the darkness.

“Fragile World” is a record made the old-fashioned way: recorded onto magnetic tape in New Zealand with producer Tom Healy, then fleshed out with impromptu arrangements born from the spontaneity of the sessions. The result is a more varied and instinctive work than its predecessor “Asphodels”, which was closely tied to a collaboration with violinist Victoria Kelly, even if a similar emotional flow still runs through both albums.
The melodies are stripped down, built to showcase Andrews' vocal performance, enhanced by harmonic suspensions, choral backing and arrangements that are always measured and purposeful.

It's a winning formula that captivates right from the lunar opening of "Aurora" and finds further confirmation in the piano chords of "High Hopes", where Andrews' voice recalls the most sorrowful Nick Cave, and in the delicate romantic dialogue of "Are You Awake Tonight?".
It's in the more intimate, everyday dimension that the Veils frontman seems to reach his creative peak. He manages to turn dawn into a small ode to rebirth in "New Day", buoyed by an effective rhythmic crescendo, or to embroider poetry onto the arrival of darkness in the minimal "The Widering Dark", underpinned by an atmospheric synth recalling Yo La Tengo and finely calibrated touches of guitar and piano.

From time to time Andrews tries to move away from more familiar territory with more structured, rhythmic tracks. In some cases the result is convincing, as in "Little White Bird (Fragile World)", which starts from soul suggestions in the vein of James Blake before turning into a sort of lullaby suspended between tubular percussion, synths and slide guitar. Less successful, however, is the shimmering mood of "Lungs", while "These Are the Days" ends up indulging in an immediacy with an almost Coldplay-esque flavour.
The album closes with a reworking of Sinéad O'Connor's "In This Heart". Originally performed a cappella, it's revisited here in a piano-and-voice version with a traditional flavour, perfect for a closing sing-along on the upcoming tour, which will also stop in Italy.

If "Fragile World" doesn't quite manage to be the brighter follow-up to "Asphodels", it does succeed in consolidating the Veils' standing among the most credible acts in contemporary melancholic, introspective alternative rock.

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24/06/2026