the legendary chavis brothers return with the first new music from the veldt in 15 years. #soundcheck

Shoegaze legends The Veldt may have called it quits in 1998, but the twin brothers that formed it’s backbone, Danny and Daniel Chavis, have soldiered on with their latest project Apollo Heights. Both bands have been causing some trouble lately, with Apollo Heights featured in The Smiths’ bassist Andy Rourke’s upcoming documentary ‘The Sounds Of The City’, and The Veldt releasing their first new song in 15 years, the appropriately titled “Resurrection Hymn.”

By Nathan Leigh, AFROPUNK Contributor
Banner photo by Eva Pal

The brothers relocated to NYC after The Veldt’s breakup, and in their interview with Rourke they call out New York as a place of legend more than reality. “I think we were maybe 44 years too late for what we really wanted to come here for.” It’s curious that in his documentary on the way a band’s location influences their sound, Rourke would choose two North Carolina ex-pats to expound on their New York roots. But they provide a much needed counterpoint to the “Brooklyn is magic!” view expressed by the guys in Art Con.

The Veldt has been teasing new material since their string of reunion shows in 2011. “Resurrection Hymn” is a beautiful minimalist instrumental, draped in reverb, with an almost post-rock feel. It slowly ramps up the tension before devolving back into a wall of ambient noise. Fans expecting a return to Afrodesiac indie pop may have a little bit of waiting to do, but after 15 years, this first taste of new material from The Veldt more than whets the appetite.