Published on May 25, 2018
Teething Veils is the Washington D.C. duo of Greg Svitil and Hannah Burris, who, since 2006, have produced a very unique version of chamber pop that often brings in legions of players to help flesh out their songs. Sea And Sun actually brought Teething Veils to an eight piece, using glockenspiels, clarinets, flutes, horns, chimes and Svitil's inimitable vocals alongside Burris, who uses a more conventional, melodic approach.
“The Bridesmaid” begins the album with quaint keys, calm percussion, and Svitil's baritone vocals before orchestral strings sweep in along with the soft vocals of Burris. Though fuller moments of sophistication occur, at its core it's a sparse, graceful display of chamber pop. A similar format is followed with the accordions and quick drumming of “Before Sunrise,” before the darker and aching “Each Morning,” where Burris handles most of the vocal duties. Side A concludes with the quick piano ballad “I've Really Let Myself Go” and the breezy, playful “The Black Widow,” which brings in horns and an oldies feel.
Side B is just as strong, with the keys, low cello, and strings of “By The Way,” which has the feel of a soundtrack to a coming of age movie, before the soft and spoken “The Human You Were.” “Webbed” is an expansive, lush highlight, reminiscent of early Bright Eyes, and full of glorious instrumentation and dense lyrical matter, as is “Dinner Date,” which a bit more tense. The album ends with the carnivalesque “Allover Fainting,” a fun, lovely indie folk masterpiece that makes full use of all the players on hand.
Complete with fantastic artwork and a download code, Teething Veils continues to solidify themselves as one of the most exciting outfits not only out of the Nation's Capitol but the entire independent music scene, too. Though I wouldn't say the song craft is all that similar, fans of Calexico or Lost In The Trees should be paying close attention here.