Q&A: Valley Offers a Glimpse Into Personal Reflections With Latest Album ‘Lost in Translation’
DRAWING FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND AMBITIONS AS A BAND — Valley released their sophomore album, Lost in Translation, on June 23. This record follows a string of singles and EPs released since their hugely successful 2019 album, MAYBE.
Lost in Translation stays true to Valley’s signature pop soundscape while dripping with nostalgia and heartbreak. With ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, and other iconic groups as inspiration, Valley creates a timeless sound with this record.
The Toronto-based alternative-pop band, composed of Rob Laska, Mickey Brandolino, Karah James, and Alex Dimauro, formed thanks to a twist of fate. An accidentally double-booked studio is credited with turning two duos into a four-piece band.
As they prepare to start an international tour in August, Valley took the time to give us some insight into the stories behind the album. Read on below for more.
LUNA: Every band has their origin story, of course, but I’d love to know if you were friends first or if you knew each other as musicians and the band came from that?
BRANDOLINO: We’re really happy about our origin story. Nowadays a lot of people meet through DMs or online sources and that’s totally cool and fine, but I’m really glad the way we met was a little more organic. Just adds the magic. Basically, the story goes that Karah and I went to high school together and Alex and Rob went to high school together. Karah and I were a duo, and Alex and Rob had a band that was breaking up because of college. The year after high school, Karah and I were at a local studio working on music, and the engineer working there happened to accidentally double-book Rob and Alex over the same session. So just as fate does its work, Alex and Rob walked into our session and we just chatted and played each other our music and happened to love each other's vibes and music.
I think we all brought a different side of music [and] skillset that really makes the band what it is. Very similar to how Fleetwood Mac met, and they are sort of like Valley's spirit animal.
LUNA: What have been some of the biggest factors in your growth as musicians together since then? Do you have any specific mindsets or practices that have led to you establishing your sound as a group?
JAMES: Some of our biggest growth moments as a band have simultaneously happened from individual growth as people. Life imitates art and art imitates life, and through a lot of self-reflection we have grown in an emotional sense throughout the years — just striving to be the best versions of ourselves so we can do this thing for a long time.
Getting to travel has also broadened our perspectives and has inspired songs along the way. Another key part about our growth is meeting people and learning from different minds and backgrounds. We’ve each had a different personal growth experience that has led us to where we are today, which is by no means a perfect spot, but focusing on humanity first and then everything else is key.
LUNA: I’ve been noticing a bit of what seems to be a theme of “optimistic heartbreak” scattered around this album, especially with songs such as “Have a Good Summer (Without Me)” and “Throwback Tears.” What is it about a sad song in a major key? Would you say it helps with processing heavier feelings?
JAMES: That is the Valley way. Since as early as we can all remember, we have each loved the juxtaposition of a happy instrumental with a sad or introspective lyric. Maybe there is a subconscious meaning behind that for the way we portray our own lives, but I think that’s just what we found beautiful about art: it can make you feel two different ways at the same time, and that's okay. It challenges your conscious mind. If you can drive down the highway with the windows down and hands out the windows but also be crying a little, life is good; life is human.
LUNA: Karah, I saw that you directed the video for “Natural.” Was this your first time directing?
Can you tell me about that creative process, and what made you want to present the song in this way?
JAMES: This was a really cool experience for me, as I got to fully see out a vision I had from conception to the final product. I worked alongside Oliver Whitfield-Smith, whom we’ve worked on several videos with, and we made a great team. I’ve wanted to play over exaggerated characters in a video for a while and felt that this was the one to do it. My roles in terms of directing were coordinating a lot of the scenes I saw in my head when writing the treatment, a lot pulled from the movie Thelma and Louise. We had a bunch of our friends on set playing characters and invited some of our fans out, too. It was all around a fun, new experience.
LUNA: Did you all grow up in Toronto? I love hearing about artists’ hometown music scenes. It’s amazing how influential local music can be. What was that like for you guys growing up?
VALLEY: We grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, where there was definitely a subculture of what was happening in the big city. Local bands playing local bars, and battle of the bands, of course. But taking the GO train into Toronto to sneak into a show was where the fire got lit inside of us to want to be on those stages too.
LUNA: “I thought i could fly” seems to be speaking to the past self. There can be a lot of mixed emotions when acknowledging past versions of yourself like that. What did that writing process feel like?
LASKA: Oftentimes, being in the position we are, we get to experience a lot of beauty in the world. We are extremely grateful and fortunate to write music that resonates with so many people, but it often can make you feel quite trapped and internally questioning. I’ve battled this for many years of being in the band and checking into band therapy while making this record. Lost In Translation has really held my hand to learn more about my mental health. And when enough time goes by, you’ve seen your life but you haven’t lived it.
"I thought i could fly" is me accepting the reality that I am no longer a kid. I’ve struggled with growing up my entire life. I wish I could remember the moment that my imagination shrunk, but I miss that Rob. I miss when believing I can do something outrageous felt normal. Running everywhere felt like a superpower. I miss it all. I guess "i thought i could fly" is me just saying goodbye to the Rob that looked around and didn’t recognize anybody or anything.
LUNA: I saw that you have quite the international tour coming up. If your teen self could see where you’re at now with all of these experiences and those that are upcoming, is there any guidance or encouragement you would give that version of yourself?
BRANDOLINO: Yeah, we’re so excited to tour the world, experience its different cultures, fashion, food, people, etc. It's amazing that we get to do this as a living. I think my younger self would be really excited and probably cry. I think if I could give a younger version of myself some guidance knowing everything I know now, it would be to not take everything so seriously, take care of myself, start therapy, and learn what boundaries are.
I think the more amazing things happen and the more opportunities you get, the more the pressure builds and the more people want to take a piece of you, and that’s a great place to be, but if you don’t have the skills and internal resources to manage it, then it can ruin the fun sometimes and you miss precious moments that you’ll never get back. It’s something I’m working really hard on right now but would love to have had these skills at a young age.
JAMES: It’s honestly so surreal that we are living the very dream we had had since we were five years old. That dream got more real as music became more real for us, being in bands in high school, traveling a bit for shows, doing some commercial work. We saw the dream but knew there wasn’t one way up the mountain, and the challenge would be figuring out that path for us. If I could talk to that younger Karah I would say, “Don’t worry about filtering yourself to fit in — embrace your weirdness and randomness, and don’t buy fast fashion because you’ll look like everyone else and regret it.”
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