The Mary Veils Deliver Classic Punk with Their EP ‘Somewhere Over the Rowhome’ [Premiere]

With the odd exception, no rock n’ roll band starts off as a finished product. There’s an evolution that occurs; steps along the way that hopefully lead to a shared vision of what the band is, and what it is capable of being. That’s the pathway that The Mary Veils are on with their debut EP Somewhere Over the Rowhome, officially due for release tomorrow via PNKSLM Recordings.

Offering perspective on the EP, lead singer Brain Von Uff said,

“Somewhere Over the Rowhome is a great blend/showcase of our band’s direction. It’s all the musical taste and styles each member loves thrown into the Mary Veils blender. That’s why we’re very excited to put out this EP on PNKSLM because it’s a good mix of what the label has already been known for. Each song on the EP varies stylistically on purpose. We don’t write just punk songs or just garage songs. We love all kinds of different genres. We hope that listeners hear that we’re not just one flavor. I like listening to albums that each song brings something completely different than the one before but it still fits.”

The brainchild of frontman Brian Von Uff, Somewhere Over the Rowhome is the band’s debut as an actual band. Von Uff released a debut album under the Mary Veils name in 2017 titled Slacker Paint, but the result wasn’t exactly what he had had in mind. Written alone and completely self-recorded, Slacker Paint was perhaps a little too thin or overly lo-fi sounding for Von Uff’s liking due to the limitations he encountered working alone. When The Mary Veils became a full-fledged quartet, it offered him the creative freedom to go places musically that he had never gone before. His bandmates brought the right personality and gusto to the songs which helped Somewhere Over the Rowhome in coming together very easily.

Both inventive and energetic, Von Uff and his musical comrades took their inspiration from a lot of vintage, classic punk, like the New York Dolls, Johnny Thunders, and The Dickies. The EP’s four tracks may also remind you of more contemporary acts, such as Osees and Hot Snakes. In writing and recording the songs, the band took the approach of throwing everything they like together and from those influences, try to blend something together that would sound both cohesive and appealing. It’s a warmup to the band’s first full-length record which they are already hard at work on. They are so far along the way that the album is scheduled for a March release. Along the way, the evolution will continue, and it’s trending very much in the right direction.

Artwork for the album ‘Over The Rowhome’ by The Mary Veils