Although the Veils' record label, Rough Trade Records, specializes primarily in garage rockers, the band's melancholy vocals and sparsely arranged pop tunes - which have been known to include piano and string arrangements - make them an exception to the rule. The Veils' leader is guitarist and singer-songwriter Finn Andrews (b. 1983, London, England), who is the son of former XTC and Shriekback keyboard player, Barry Andrews. Raised in New Zealand, the young Andrews inherited the music bug from his father. Concluding that it would probably be easier to launch a music career in the town where he was born, Andrews relocated to London at the age of 18, with his sole purpose being to put a band together. He hooked up with Oli Drake (guitar), Adam Kinsella (bass), and Ben Woollacott (drums) soon afterwards, resulting in the formation of the Veils in 2001. The newly assembled quartet quickly built a buzz with their memorable pop tunes, resulting in Rough Trade label head Geoff Travis personally offering them a recording contract, that they accepted at the end of the same year they formed. Several singles followed in 2003, including "More Heat Than Light", "The Leavers Dance", "Guiding Light", and "Lavina". With former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler serving as the producer of their debut, the Veils released The Runaway Found in the opening moments of 2004, preceded by a lead-off single, "The Wild Son".

Listen to Veils at Finetune.

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