”Twenty years ago, something magical happened. In the space between technology and ideology, two terms that have been
fighting each other to define the days that have come since, an album appeared. A collection of songs that seemed defiantly out
of place. Yet somehow these songs knew themselves. Which, thinking back on it now, better explains why their creator, a young
Swedish musician called José González, felt so familiar to us so quickly.” Zane Lowe on José González’ Veneer.
Today visionary singer-songwriter and guitarist José González has announced the release of a 20th Anniversary Deluxe version of his
uncompromising, candid, game-changing debut album (2003) Veneer. It features newly remastered audio of the seminal album as well as a
bonus disc, comprising 13 intimate recordings from his historic 2003 performance at Gothenburg Concert Hall.
The 20th Anniversary Deluxe Version of Veneer will see release on limited edition double blue vinyl and digitally on October 27th, 2023 via
Peacefrog Records. It features a hand-numbered gatefold and a 24-page booklet filled with archival photos, essays, a song-by-song guide
from José and more.
Veneer made an indelible mark in its understated, expressive brilliance and cemented José González as a meticulous sonic craftsman and
songwriter of singular talent. It’s hard to believe an album recorded with the most basic equipment in a cramped Gothenburg flat could end up
going platinum, not only in Sweden but also the UK, selling well over 1 million copies worldwide. It’s harder still when one acknowledges that,
aside from one brief trumpet solo and the slightest hint of percussion, the record features just one hushed voice and the dexterous picking of an
acoustic guitar’s nylon strings. But 2003’s Veneer was such an album, charting in several countries in the world, and eventually making Top 10
in the UK, thanks in part to its delicate, evocative cover of The Knife’s “Heartbeats”.