Kevin Bronson on March 16th, 2021

0

Veers sound like they never stopped believing rock ’n’ roll could do the heavy lifting.

The L.A. quartet, fronted by Englishman Andrew James and featuring the talents of Chris Neff, Spencer Schuck and Nick Lanata, debuted in 2016 and have released two EPs of music chiseled from the stone of Britrock, from metal to Britpop. Were this the mid-’90s, Veers would be angling for at least a blurb on NME’s cover. Today, who knows?

On Friday, Veers released the new single “Movements,” the first song from their debut full-length, “The Universe Reversal,” arriving later this year. The song is riffy rallying cry for the downtrodden, propelled by the quartet’s typically hard-hitting rhythms. While not directly about the COVID-19 pandemic, the song certainly applies — and, after all, the making of the album was enabled by the lockdown.

“‘Movements’ is about being held back by those above you,” James says. “Working so hard and being so close to where you want to be; right at the door, but you can’t afford the golden ticket to get in. You’re trapped outside, peaking under to see what you’re missing. No matter how hard you bash the door and scream through the cracks, no one seems to be listening.

“It’s an anthem to the beaten down, the tired, the weary, and we think it rings true even more these days for musicians in a scene completely ravaged by COVID.”

The album is a DIY affair, with the band doing all playing, production and engineering, with Stephan Hawkes handling the mastering.

“We didn’t want to write and make a record that was all about COVID-19 and lockdown, that’s for sure,” James says, “but it’s given us time to write and record a bunch of songs, so that’s a small blessing.”

||| Stream: “Movements”

||| Previously: “Tata Big Star,” “Reflector,” “Invader”