From their indie, teenage, retro vibe, to a crazy video clip on an ambulance, Valley is constantly wowing us with their amazing creativity and uniqueness. Their fun pop sound, mixed with the youthful lyrics, full of emotion, feels really relatable to our generation.
On October 1st they graced us yet again with a new EP called "Last Birthday", which the band said is one of their most special pieces of work. In our exclusive interview, the band shared how this EP was partially a "child of the quarantine". They got to work together while isolating in a cabin, collab through zoom with other artists, and even take trips down memory lane. My personal favorite anecdote was about the song "ain't my girl", which they wrote seven and a half years ago and decided to put out after eating a batch of... funny gummies.
Now, Valley is preparing to go on tour alongside Coin, so if they're coming to your area, make sure to check them out. If you want to know a little bit more about Last Birthday and the band that wrote it, come with me and I'll give you all the goods.
You guys have a very specific, thought-out style (visually), what inspires it? How
did it come to be?
Karah James, the band's drummer, made sure to kick off by saying that the biggest credit is to be given to their amazing creative team of filmmakers, photographers, and designers, who filter their "massive ideas", as described by the guitarist Michael Brandolino, into really great visuals. They all love to work together on the brainstorming process, "curating it along the way", as Karah pointed out. They draw inspiration from everyday life, movies (such as the Truman Show and Thelma and Louise), and even eras like the early 2000s.
I imagine you're very proud of everything you have created, but what is the song
that most resonates with you and why?
The vocalist Rob Laska answered right away that it was the song "Last Birthday", which, despite naming the EP, hasn't come out yet. He said it was "one of their greats", and if it was in fact their last birthday, this is what they would want the people to hear. Rob explains how he thinks this song isn't trying to be anything, it just exists beautifully within itself.
What is the most gratifying thing this journey has brought you?
The bassist Alex Dimauro was quick to say that the most gratifying thing is definitely working with all the amazing people they do, especially with each other, since the members have been friends since high school. Karah then elaborated and took it even further by saying that having this whole community around them, that support, love, and are touched by what they do is one of the most amazing things. She also pinpointed that meeting people on tour is a big sigh of relief because they get to see all of them in person and realize there are humans behind the names and numbers. "We're just four friends that want to make music together, and when it became bigger than us it was very gratifying".
Is there a theme you enjoy writing about or find yourself going back to?
"Yeah, self-deprecation is a big one...", "we're also very scared of dying" Laska and Dimauro said laughing. Nevertheless, they did say that a goal they had, especially with "Last Birthday" was make sure people had a Valley song for every moment in their life, displaying an array of emotions through their art. Rob even said he thinks they have a unique balance between happy melody and sad lyrics, or happy lyrics and sad melody.
What is your favorite/most important moment as a band (most emotional, most
embarrassing, funniest...)?
This question brought the story of a very intense and quite eerie experience the band had, but that they see as a big bonding moment. They told me how their van was stolen on the day of a gig and they started running around the city trying to play hero and "chase the bad guy" to get their stuff back. The moviesque incident even included the sight of a body, which was, obviously, scary and sad. But, what matters is that they got to the show on time, not to mention that the teamwork really brought them closer together.
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