VALLEY RING IN A NEW ERA WITH RELEASE OF SOPHOMORE ALBUM LOST IN TRANSLATION TODAY
ALBUM UNDERPLAY SHOWS
June 26 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
SEA & AUSTRALIA TOUR
August 1 – Seoul, Korea @ YES24 Live Hall
August 3 – Tokyo, Japan @ Ebisu Garden Hall
August 5 – Manila, Philippines @ Mall Show
August 7 – Hong Kong, China @ Music Zone
August 8 – Taipei, Taiwan @ Clapper Studio
August 10 – Singapore, Malaysia @ Gateway Theatre
August 12 – Bangkok, Thailand @ Road To Sonic Bang Festival
August 15 - Brisbane, Australia @ Triffid
August 17 – Sydney, Australia @ Factory Theatre
August 18 – Melbourne, Australia @ Max Watts
THE SONDER TOUR WITH DERMOT KENNEDY
October 11 – Quebec City, QC @ Centre Videotron
October 13 – Ottawa, ON @ Canadian Tire Centre
October 14 – London, ON @ Budweiser Gardens
October 18 – Winnipeg, MB @ Canada Life Centre
October 20 – Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place
October 21 – Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome
October 23 –Seattle, WA @ The Showbox*
*Rescheduled Lost In Translation Tour date
Following a streak of dazzling new singles, performed live for fans first on a North American headlining tour, alternative-pop band Valley – comprised of Rob Laska, Mickey Brandolino, Alex Dimauro, and Karah James – release their anticipated, sophomore album Lost In Translation today through Capitol Records/Universal Music Canada. James describes, “Lost in Translation is a tribute to our relationship over the many years as friends and bandmates, working through misunderstandings, and finding our way through the radio noise” – Stream.
The 15-track record follows their debut album MAYBE (2019) and collects the band member’s individual reflections over the past three years of creating the project. Laska reflects, “It poses more questions than answers which has been an accurate description of our lives since releasing our first album. It’s been a maze to figure out what this all means, why we still do it, what’s been found and most importantly, what’s been lost along the way.”
Lost In Translation comes together like glimpses of a journal, drawing from pop-culture references, inspired by iconic bands through the decades, rooted in personal experience and laced with hints of distinctive Valley soundscapes. James notes, “’Evenings & Weekends’ is one of my favorite tracks on the album. I remember waking up that day in our little A-frame house in the Hollywood Hills wanting to write an ABBA-like song. We started with a tempo like ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’ and went for the same dark 70’s pop vibe that song has. It’s about conditional love and how it feels to be disposable to a person.”
Where the title track off the album, “Started off as a tribute to Otis and Maeve from the show Sex Education. It was about star crossed lovers who misunderstood each other,” says James. “’i thought I could fly’ was written as a love letter to an inner child,” Laska reflects, “this is me accepting the reality that I am no longer a kid. I miss when believing I can do something outrageous felt normal. Like running everywhere felt like a superpower. ‘i thought I could fly’ is me just saying goodbye to the Rob that looked around and didn’t recognize anybody or anything.”
The final track on Lost In Translation, “Fishbowl,” peeks into Valley’s core motivations; a drive to remain present at all times and how continuing to make music keeps the band ambitious. Brandolino expands, “At times, life can feel like you’re living in a fishbowl - watching it pass you by as one big blur. If you’re lucky, someone or something will break you out eventually and you can be present again. No matter how hard we try not to, we often end up back in the bowl at some point in our lifetime for whatever reason, but our fascination, longing and searching is never lost when we know we’ll break out again. Music always breaks us out, when you see it take on a million different soundtracks of a million different lives, it’s the energy we use to keep going.”
Alongside the album release, Valley shares the official music video for a standout track “Natural” today. The video is co-directed by Karah James alongside Oliver Whitfield-Smith. On her directorial debut the band’s drummer and vocalist, James explains, “I had specific scenes in my mind for this, like where the lead is in the bathroom, I took influence from a scene in the 1991 film ‘Thelma and Louise’ where Louise is in the bathroom after shooting Thelma’s attacker. She is calmly looking into the mirror as all the chaos is happening around her.” “Natural” was crafted from a “realization that it’s okay to express how effortless being in love truly is. When you’ve found the one, your sidekick, your partner in crime, your Jim and Pam love story.”
The lead character in the video, played by Kris Grzella, represents that sense of effortless joy, a freedom from internal insecurities and external pressures. Talking about the vision for the video, James explains, “The video concept first started when Rob and I were and talking about how fun it would be to do something country themed and intentionally campy sparking from the lyric ‘like country and Nashville, baby we’re natural.’ As time went on, the concept morphed into what is it now, taking influence from ‘Saturday Night Fever’, the concept is set in a middle American honky tonk bar, where a young man feels the most in touch with his true self when he can unchain himself and just dance.” Watch the music video for “Natural” HERE.
The album includes five previously released tracks that have amassed over 14 million global streams collectively, including “We Don’t Need Malibu,” released just two days ago as a final gift to fans for their ongoing support. “Throwback Tears,” kicked off the Lost In Translation era at the beginning of the year and was covered by Kerala folk/indie group When Chai Met Toast and shared on Rolling Stone India. “Good, but not together” followed as an anthem for finding closer following a relationship, released alongside a performance video. The third single, “Break For You” appeared on the Canada Top 50 Viral chart on Spotify and was the #2 Most Added Overall and at Top 40 on Canadian radio, currently charting inside top 25 on Top 40 radio. Then the sad summery bop, “Have A Good Summer (Without Me),” which was praised by Consequence, saying “Valley are instead kicking off the season by stepping into singleness. It’s dreamy and light, offering the perfect introduction to the hottest time of year.”
Valley celebrates the Lost In Translation release with two intimate underplays at iconic venues in cities that have been important to their careers, both shows selling out in under 15-minutes. On June 22 the band performed at Mercury Lounge in New York and on Monday June 26, Valley will celebrate with a hometown show at Horseshoe Tavern.
On Valley’s recent headlining North American ‘Lost In Translation Tour,’ they received rave responses from audiences to the new songs on their set list that blend seamlessly into their catalogue of danceable love songs. Laska gushes, “if you played 18-year-old Valley this album, they would be proud of how far we’ve come. This is the first time in our lives we’ve been able to truly take an album around the world. Seeing the songs connect with people and surpass language barriers and differences in culture has been one of the most beautiful experiences we’ve encountered collectively.”
This summer Valley pack up for a tour across Southeast Asia and Australia, performing headlining shows to their fans outside of North America. Those dates include a performance in Thailand for the Road To Sonic Bang Music Festival alongside LANY, ADOY and Burnout Syndromes. Valley is excited to announce they will be joining Dermot Kennedy as support on six newly announced dates of The Sonder Tour, playing arena venues across the country this fall. See the updated list of tour dates below. Tickets can be purchased on Valley’s website, here.
ABOUT VALLEY
Canada’s Juno Award nominated alternative-pop band, Valley —Rob Laska (lead vocals), Mickey Brandolino (guitar, synths), Alex Dimauro (bass), and Karah James (Drums, vocals)—amplify sticky hooks through eloquent songcraft that’s cognizant of what came before, yet ready for the future. Over the past few years, Valley released a steady stream of singles and EPs that have resonated with an international audience, garnering over half a billion global streams with tracks often appearing on viral charts in the U.S., Philippines, Korea, Japan and more.
In 2016, Valley formed by accident when a local studio double booked them. During high school, Mickey and Karah played in one band, while Rob and Alex played in another. They introduced themselves to the world with self-written, self-produced releases, including the EP This Room Is White (2016) and full-length debut MAYBE (2019), followed by sucks to see you doing better (2020) and Last Birthday (2021). The consistent release of new music garnered the band two JUNO Award nominations and praise from the likes of EARMILK, Wonderland, American Songwriter and CBC. Their gold certified single, “Like 1999” which originates back to a TikTok post broke international borders as it appeared on global viral charts.
Valley are known for their energetic live shows, opening for the likes of Lennon Stella, The Band CAMINO and Arkells plus performing at renowned music festivals across the world including The Governors Ball, Slow Life, Slow Live Festival, Wunderstruck, Life Is Beautiful and last year the band nearly sold out their first-ever North American headlining tour.
Last year, Valley saw their hard work paying off as they were profiled as part of prestigious programs such as Apple Music’s Up Next Artist alongside the release of their Apple Music Home Session plus a Spotify Singles Session. The group performed as part of Stephen Colbert’s #LiveAtHome sessions for their debut US TV appearance plus they opened the biggest Canadian sporting event, playing the 2022 Grey Cup kick-off show. With their second headlining North American tour and their sophomore album Lost In Translation out now, 2023 is primed to be an explosive year for Valley.
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