The Young Veins

The Young Veins

Artist

The Young Veins was a California-based retro rock band formed in 2009 by former Panic! at the Disco members Ryan Ross and Jon Walker.

Ross and Walker announced their decision to leave Panic! at the Disco through an update posted on the band’s website on July 6, 2009:

Ryan Ross and Jon Walker will be leaving Panic at the Disco to embark on a musical excursion of their own. Though the four of us have made music together in the past, we’ve creatively evolved in different directions which has compromised what each of us want to personally achieve. Over the years, we have remained close and honest with each other, which helped us to realize that our goals were different and that parting ways is truly what is best for each of us. We are all excited for the future, you should be too.

The band’s name has been said to be a reference to the novel The Last Man by Mary Shelley, a book about the aftermath of a deadly plague, which contains the quote “If I were to dissect each incident, every small fragment of a
second would contain an harrowing tale, whose minutest word would curdle
the blood in thy young veins.” However, Ryan Ross revealed to SPIN magazine in 2010 that naming the band was a much more random process:

At first, when we were throwing around names in the studio, we wanted to call the band the Veins, but there was already a band called that. So we just called it the Young Veins. We liked the ‘fresh blood’ connotation. But really the name is a Spinal Tap reference. There’s a part where the band is talking about when they were starting out. They were going to call themselves the Originals but that name was taken, so they call themselves the New Originals instead. So we’re sort of just playing off the idea of adding an adjective in front of a band name that already exists.

In the Young Veins, Ross and Walker shared vocal and guitar responsibilities. They also enlisted the help of bassist Andy Soukal (who Jon grew up with in Chicago), drummer Nick Murray (of White Fence and formerly of Thee Oh Sees), and keyboardist Nick White (of Tilly and the Wall).

Their first and only release to date, Take a Vacation!, was released on June 8, 2010. The band spent the summer of 2010 touring with Rooney, however in December of the same year, Walker announced that the Young Veins would be going on an indefinite hiatus via Twitter:

the young veins has been on hiatus and will remain that way for the time being. thanks for getting the album and coming to the shows.

Walker has since released several solo albums and EPs. Ross has released several singles and is rumored to be working on a solo album.

On April 4, 2023, Jon Walker began promoting a new Young Veins Instagram account. Posts on this account teased a remastered vinyl pressing of the band’s debut album, and an Instagram story posted by Walker on June 17, 2023 recommended fans to:

Follow the Young Veins on Instagram and be the first to know if / when something might happen to happen…