Review: Philly garage punk band The Mary Veils’ LP ‘Esoteric Hex’

By Shuvam DasGupta, Rock At Night Philadelphia

LP Review: The Mary Veils’ album Esoteric Hex – Release date March 25, 2022 via t PNKSLM Recordings

Philly is the city that has the old vibes with the newness in terms of food, culture, or music. And that is how I would describe the LP Esoteric Hex’ by The Mary Veils who are from (drumrolls) the City of Brotherly Love. The album will be released in March and the first song “Bone Blossom Green” is already out on all the major platforms. I had a chance to listen to all the 10 songs of the album and I absolutely enjoyed it. By the way, that is not coming from my bias towards the city.

The band initially was a solo project of the frontman Brian Von Uff. Later the present lineup of the band was formed with – drummer Evan Wall, guitarist Drew Mann, and bassist Justin Mansor. As I was listening to the album I felt the blend of the rawness of the pure garage punk/ rock with a hint of retro electronic music. The songs reminded me of bands like – The Strokes, Black Keys, or White Stripes. But somewhere I could find some influences of late Beatles music. The LP was produced by Jeff Zeigler (Kurt Vile, The War on Drugs, etc) and Cory Hanson (Wand, Ty Segall, etc). Besides the music, I have to specifically mention the album cover – it is a great artwork by D. Norsen.

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty and talk about some of the songs I liked:

Bone Blossoms Green – The song starts like electronica and then as the bass sets in, it takes the turn towards pure garage rock. Then, with the guitar solo, it takes a turn towards classic rock and roll. This is a great start to the album with the experimental sounds. I could find some influences of the band Oasis in this song.

Jelly – I loved the use of the drums in this song with the varying use of the rhythm. This reminds me of the album Magical Mystery Tour by the Beatles. Somehow I really liked the way the song started as a video game-like sound, and also the ending of the song with a solo.

Esoteric Hex – This is pure garage rock. It sounds like it was performed live. I absolutely liked the riff in this song. I think it defines the album perfectly and hence the title.

Circled Omens – This is almost like a classic Brit Rock song. I loved the guitar solo. This song has an inherent melody that just works with the overall flow of raw instrumentals.

Though I mentioned only the specific songs from the album, the overall listening experience has been awesome. Power punched riffs, classic garage rock guitar solos, raw and energetic drumming, and an inherent melody in all the songs. This album is highly recommended for any rock and roll lover. I will be looking forward to the upcoming works of The Mary Veils and hope to see and shoot photos of them live sometime.

Esoteric Hex – TRACKLISTING

01. Bone Blossom Green02. Jelly03. Esoteric Hex04. Circled Omens05. Elevator06. Follow Me07. A Tether08. Eyes09. Fuzzy 9510. The Turnspit

SPOTIFY

Like what you hear? Check out the band’s recent (2021) EP Somewhere Over the Rowhome HERE

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Shuvam DasGupta

Shuvam is originally from Kolkata (India), but now residing in Philadelphia. Though by profession he is an auditor, by the passion he is a music photographer. His style is mainly black and white and he loves capturing people’s expressions.He is greatly influenced by Nemai Ghosh, Ross Halfin, and Annie Leibovitz. Prior to the pandemic, Shuvam performed photography regularly for Sofar Sounds. Rock At Night is happy to have him on board!

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