Stripped of the noise, the lights, and the heavy atmosphere, what remains is the music that truly matters. Welcome to The Lifeboat Playlist—a raw, deep dive into the sonic DNA of the artists shaping our world, forcing them to select the ten definitive tracks they’d carry into isolation.
W: Karl Watson
For heavy, dark-alternative outfit Veiled, this isn't just a list of songs; it’s a survival kit built on gut-level resonance. The ten selections below aren't mere influences—they are blueprints. Spanning stadium-sized roars, vulnerable late-night confessions, and high-octane riffs, they capture the exact blend of ambition, atmosphere, and sheer conviction that inspired Veiled to pick up instruments and craft their own crushing, cinematic sound on tracks like "Tarot" and "The High Priestess." Together, they form the foundation of how the band approaches songwriting and performance today.
And because no true musical portrait is complete without a bit of unvarnished honesty, we forced Veiled to drop their guard and reveal two ultimate Guilty Pleasures—the shameless, volume-up anthems reserved for private dance sessions that would otherwise destroy their street cred. From the infectious, mirror-facing energy of Billy Idol’s "Dancing With Myself" to the unapologetic, stadium-dramatics of Goo Goo Dolls’ "Iris," these are the tracks they secretly adore when nobody’s watching.
Joy Division: Disorder
Beautiful song, lyrically and instrumentally- that song is the standard, writing wise. It isn’t super technically complex, but it shows that a song doesn’t need to be.
The Cure: Disintegration
Again, lyrically, this song is beautiful. This is easily one of The Cure’s best in our opinion, the atmosphere it creates is undeniably powerful and reflective and melancholy.
The Cure: Just Like Heaven
This is just a really good, really catchy song. Listening to it makes you feel good. The keys parts are beautiful too. This is a favourite song of ours and has been for a long time, and reminds us of when we first began the band.
Fleetwood Mac: Sisters Of The Moon
We love the vibe of this song, and how simple but how good the chorus is. Stevie Nicks’ lyrics are so intriguing as well. We definitely want to write a song like this ourselves one day.
Fleetwood Mac: Gypsy
This song is so meaningful- everything about it feels bittersweet. Listening to it we feel everything that Stevie Nicks is feeling.
The Cure: Charlotte Sometimes
We love this song. It’s not the most popular from their catalogue, but it is so good. The keys parts are so catchy and sound really cool, and the story of the song is really interesting too.
The Cure: Cold
We love the opening of this song. All the layers and different parts come together really well. Writing/composition wise, The Cure has always been a big inspiration of ours.
Fleetwood Mac: Rhiannon
Specifically a recording of the 1976 live version where Stevie Nicks is possessed by the spirit of Rhiannon herself. One of the best live performances of all time, it continues to inspire us massively.
Destroy Boys: Piedmont
We all love this song, we’ve covered it a few times in the past. Lyrically and instrumentally, it is really well-written. The guitar riff sounds so bittersweet and reflective, and we love the dynamic changes between the choruses and verses.
Hole: Doll Parts
This song is so powerful, the way Courtney Love delivers her lyrics and the way it builds towards the end; it is so raw it’s like she’s singing right at you.
Guilty Pleasures
Goo Goo Dolls: Iris
Overplayed but with good reason. We don’t really want to admit it but it is a very good song.
Billy Idol Dancing With Myself
It’s such a fun song and we’ve got some good memories associated with it, but as an alternative band it feels wrong to admit it.