Establishing the mood with a cinematic and psychedelic guitar soundscape Translucent Veil open their namesake album with a track called The Veil. Subtle cymbal textures and panning soft drums create ripples whilst a cosmic electric guitar guides us to the spiritually introspective lyrics, “Should I chase my tears to the edge of the veil and look past consciousness, should I open the door which looks inside of me?”
We deeply connect with the message that is manifesting and the high emotional and conscious quotient of the song, both sonically and lyrically. The Veil poses existential questions about the illusion of reality. The chord progressions are sublime and deeply moving. Bold lyrics like, “Secret’s here, it’s in plain sight, it’s just a dream you face…” really summarise the ethos of the song and its unravelling of the understanding of the illusion, the spiritual veil and the Vedic and Taoist concepts of “Maya”.
Next up is Last Night’s Dream. This moves into a less dramatic and more immediate emotional territory, with lyrics centred around longing, uncertainty and the determination to reach someone before the night is over. There is still some existential depth with lyrics like “Not sure I’ll make it through the night…”, of course. Fans of The Beatles would be able to connect with this, and we could imagine it being featured in a TV show like PLUR1BUS on Apple TV.
With Time We’re Moving On, the lyrics become more hopeful as does the sonic energy. The song is about escaping difficult circumstances and choosing to build a new life together. “No need for fear, that’s all behind us…” encapsulates the central message perfectly, whilst the repeated idea of moving on gives the track an anthemic quality. It feels like a song about finally deciding that the future is more important than the past which feels really poignant and zeitgeist. The minor key change for the middle eight is heart wrenching and we love the intention behind it before an epic guitar solo.
For some context, we learn that after what started as a casual Sunday afternoon jam gradually evolved into a full-fledged band. Translucent Veil brought together their influences from artists like Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, and Pink Floyd with their own distinctive songwriting and psychedelic sensibilities.
The album was recorded and mixed at Sonarc Media in Hillsborough, NC, and taps into notions of personal hardship, particularly when drummer Tony Boutin was diagnosed with pharyngeal cancer during the recording process. Despite aggressive treatment, Tony recovered and returned to complete his drum parts. This social commentary, perseverance, friendship, and enduring spirit most certainly manifest.
Under the Sea offers a welcome shift into something more playful and metaphorically escapist. Its lyrics imagine leaving the everyday world behind and travelling somewhere beneath the surface with someone special. It feels like an invitation to disappear from reality for a while which we all need at times! It also reminds us of 20th Century Boy by T. Rex.
This brings us to Dreams and Sin which takes the album into much darker territory. The lyrics wrestle directly with mortality, guilt, faith and the meaning of existence and the soundscape reflects that with an opening panning electric guitar laced with drama and emotive intrigue. Images of shadows, death, sin and the fear of being forsaken create a genuinely haunted atmosphere. The repeated plea for forgiveness makes this one of the album’s most spiritually vulnerable moments.
Seasons Must Change is a twenty minute opus that opens with the most sublime strings arrangement, tapping into classical notions with trippy vocals and a sitar. We are in awe of this twist and the energy that manifests, feeling like a piece of world music that is absolutely breathtaking before a more traditional classic rock vibe comes to life. As for the message it explores conflict, judgement, opposing beliefs and the breakdown of a relationship or social connection. There is frustration throughout, but also a spiritual undercurrent, particularly when the band turns towards faith during a moment of personal instability. The imagery of the ground falling away gives the song an appropriately unsettled emotional core.
The sonic switch up comes through about four minutes in, again offering a more dramatic movie-like interlude before a power pop segue where we are invited to reminisce on summer days, gypsies and unicorns with a clear nod to The Beach Boys and The Beatles. We could imagine this track being played poolside on the rooftop of Petit Ermitage in West Hollywood where songs of this nature often find their home.
Again, this switches up with a flute and guitar interlude to a spoken word moment, “My guilty conscience screams, am I the only one who burns when he dreams?”. This is followed by a harp motif and a bold and industrial electric guitar moment before a grateful strings moment and a crescendo of drama that would be epic to experience in a live setting. Another monologue is followed by an almost metal-core moment, once again showcasing the genre-expansive nature of the band as we move into funk-disco, a James Bond 007 dramatic segue with dancing strings and horns.
A Deeper Shade of Blue is considerably more sensual in its lyrical approach. It recalls a past relationship through hazy memories, intoxication, desire and altered states of consciousness. The repeated phrase “a deeper shade of blue” suggests both emotional depth and melancholy, with the narrator becoming increasingly immersed in memories that seem impossible to escape.
Another sitar moment follows with tanpura and rolling toms, with an almost trip-hop strings moment that we could imagine in another James Bond film or The Day of the Jackal. Closing with Wake Up!, Translucent Veil turn their attention towards social unrest and the need for action. The lyrics are deliberately direct, calling on us to recognise a society in crisis and find a sense of purpose.
Overall, the result is an album that feels deliberately immersive, raw and thought-provoking. There is an existential darkness here, but also curiosity, humour, romance and hope. Most importantly, Translucent Veil invites us to question what we think we know and to look a little deeper. The veil, perhaps, is never as far away as we imagine.
Needless to say, we are in awe, and have added various songs from the album to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS and TRIPPY playlists.