New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today, JUNO Award Nominated alternative-pop band Valley kick off the year by announcing their sophomore album Lost In Translation, set to release June 23 through Capitol Records/Universal Music. Valley celebrates the announcement with the release of the lead single off the record, "Throwback Tears" today. "Leading with 'Throwback Tears' as the first single always felt right. It has cheeky new year, new me energy. Sad yet playful, which we always gravitate toward with our production and lyrics. It very much feels like the door swinging open to a breakbeat and us asking you to step into the new sonic world we've created around Lost In Translation," describes lead vocalist Rob Laska.
Lost In Translation follows Valley's debut album, MAYBE released in 2019. The upcoming full-length album captures the band's evolution over the past four years both sonically and emotionally as a group of friends grow through the unpredictability of navigating creative careers. Laska explains further, "MAYBE will always be our teenage diary, our coming-of-age story, our first love and first record. Lost In Translation is those same best friends navigating their mid 20s and questioning 'what now?…what really matters to us?' And what might've been lost along the way. Between MAYBE and now, we've done more soul searching together than ever. We've travelled the world, we've accomplished a lot we never thought was possible. We've followed every single path to get nowhere and everywhere. It's a very caught in a thought and seeking album. It poses more questions than answers. It's honest, it's confusing, it's pop, it's nostalgic, it's black and white, its colourful, it's unpredictable, it's simple, it's Valley, Lost In Translation."
"Throwback Tears" rings bright with a fresh perspective on a past relationship; each verse loops like an affirmation and the chorus blares with genuine peace, the ultimate closure. Drummer and vocalist Karah
James illuminates, "After the existential crisis, puffy eyes, staring at the ceiling pity party that looms over us for what feels like decades post break up, 'Throwback Tears' describes the moment of relief when you've actually moved on…but actually. It's the moment you build a bridge, one snotty Kleenex at a time, and get over it to find a pot of gold at the end filled with self-love, growth and epiphany. 'Throwback Tears' is an ode to taking control of our own sadness and defeat and never looking back. It's the cheeky 'last words' to that person that broke your heart, they wanted space so you went to the moon."
Valley capped off 2022 with the special release of a live EP, Live In Seoul. Last year, Valley travelled to South Korea to perform at Slow Life, Slow Live Festival in Seoul, their first show outside of North America, alongside LANY, Jonas Blue, Tones and I, LAUV and more. The four track EP was recorded live off the stage of the festival where the band performed to over 15,000 fans that sang along to every word despite English not being their first language. Korea continues to be a key market for Valley, garnering over 100 million streams in that territory alone. From a warm welcome at the airport to interviews with some of Korea's most impactful media, Valley was ecstatic to have the opportunity to connect with fans who have found their music from worlds away and the Live In Seoul EP captures the energy of that first trip.
Toronto's Valley - Rob Laska, Michael "
Mickey" Brandolino, Alex Dimauro, and Karah
James - 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 630 million 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. Their gold certified single, "Like 1999" which genesis traces back to a TikTok post broke international boarders as it appeared on global viral charts.
Valley are known for their energetic live shows, 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.
In 2022 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 this momentum and their sophomore album Lost In Translation, 2023 is primed to be a massive year for Valley.
