Time Stays, We Go (Pitch Beast)—the Veils‘ 10-track, fourth release—is both patiently restrained and wildly emotional. It’s full of lush brass and sing-along melodies, moments of surf-rock guitar and beachside ukulele, and essential personal queries within the struggles of the human endeavor. It’s a small dose of Pixies, and definitely reminiscent of Talking Heads, with a nod toward Jeff Buckley. In other words, Time Stays has a familiar quality despite its newness, and it’s instantly likeable, much like frontman Finn Andrews himself. Andrews and bassist Sophia Burn will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Veils feature.
Soph: This is the song. I can’t give it up, now. I think I first heard it on the soundtrack to Basquiat. Maybe that’s a little embarrassing to admit, that I didn’t hear it when my impeccable eye picked it out of a dusty second-hand record shop. I heard it in a film that I loved, that I’ve later discovered not everyone loved, that may not even be a great film, but I loved it, and I can still do a really good impression of David Bowie doing an impression of Andy Warhol.
But so this is how I heard the song. It wasn’t until much later that someone told me Dylan wrote it and Beck had sampled it. I just really liked it.
It’s a great song. It’s like the ultimate song. It’s got everything. It’s a love song, and it’s a heartbroken love song, but with that resignation/snideness that I love in heartbroken love songs. Like “Miss You” and “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome” and “I Break Horses.”
Then it’s got Van and bass to die for and one of the most beautiful melodies of all time. How did they even do that bass? What is that? It says something about me, maybe, that I don’t actually even know how to play it. But the thing is, the thing that I think as well is true of most great bass, is that I could learn to play this, and torture everyone in soundchecks, but it wouldn’t mean anything without the song. I’d have to teach everyone to play along, for it to make any sense at all.
I don’t think any of this is why I love this song so much. But maybe it is. I don’t know why I love this song so much. I just really love this song.
