Exclusive album premiere of ‘Esoteric Hex’ by The Mary Veils.

Taking their cues from the classic punk of New York Dolls, Johnny Thunders, and The Dickies, as well as more contemporary influences like Osees and Hot Snakes, The Mary Veils’ musical DNA is one rooted deeply in the intersection between riffery and melody; the album walks a tightrope between the rock and roll fizz of opener ‘Bone Blossom Green’ or the spiraling guitar scuzz of ‘A Tether,’ and the psych-tinged, hook-driven likes of ‘Circled Omens’ and ‘Fuzzy.’ At the centre of what makes Esoteric Hex tick, though, is the band’s hometown itself; as Von Uff explains, this is a love letter to Philly.

“The songs on ‘Esoteric Hex’ were made in the first two months as a band. These songs were the result of those first few practices in our extremely small practice room. Funny, now that I think about it, the walls in that space were orange like the album cover. We tracked it live to capture that sound as much as possible. We wanted it to sound like it would if you come see us play live. We wanted it to sound raw. An open wound. In Philly they say we speak what’s on our minds. We wanted that attitude to come across. Know nothing know it all.” Bria

The album was tracked swiftly and entirely live, within a few months of the new lineup coming together, over a number of weekends at Jessie Gimbel’s basement studio in Upper Darby, PA. Once Esoteric Hex had been mixed by Cory Hanson and Jeff Zeigler — who between them have worked with the likes of The War on Drugs, Ty Segall and Kurt Vile — The Mary Veils were ready to unleash this mission statement of a record upon the world, only for fate to intervene. “We’ve been sitting on the album since the start of the pandemic,” says Von Uff.

“Philadelphia is a very unique place, and while it’s a major city, it’s kind of the forgotten cousin of New York. It’s the abandoned capital of the United States, but we like the abuse. This album is in many ways about Philadelphia, and how the people here are unique and have that fighting mentality. We all want to keep getting better, and we don’t ever quit.”

It’s the city’s storied tradition of mysticism and the occult, meanwhile, that accounts for much of the record’s imagery, as well as its evocative title. “Theosophy itself was born in Philadelphia,” says Von Uff. “The city resides on the 40th Parallel, the same as the old church of Philadelphia in ancient Turkey, that was mentioned in the Book of Revelations. Secret societies, mysticism, the occult — they’re all part of the city’s history, and we wanted to explore that.”

The fact that this lineup’s cascade of creativity was to be stemmed by the global events of the past couple of years means that The Mary Veils are now very much a coiled spring, both as a studio entity and as a live band. Esoteric Hex represents the laying down of a marker, after which there’ll be plenty more to come; not just from the Veils, as Von Uff is quick to point out, but from the city they call home, too. “Before the pandemic, when we wrote these songs, there was a very alive music ecosystem here, and I was nervously awaiting where it would pick up. Two years later, it’s stronger than ever. I know I’m biased, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say Philly has some of the best bands in the world right now. This album came from the excitement of being here, in this diverse — dare I say it — ‘scene.’”

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