As Valley reach a decade of releasing and performing music, they have had to re-learn how to be a band together. The JUNO Award-nominated band, Valley’s new album Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden proves just how adaptable and unbreakable the trio can be.
Last fall, Valley were at a crossroads. They were in therapy, working the usual growing pains long-established bands face after years out on the road and the weight of viral success. While on tour with Dermot Kennedy, Rob Laska (lead vocalist), Alex Dimauro (bassist) and Karah James (drummer) found a beacon of hope: a forgotten demo of the song “Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden.”
“We really had these two paths that we previously didn’t know we had,” Karah reflects on the discovery of the old song. While “Like 1999” and their ensuing pop direction did many wonderful things for them, “Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden” has brought them back to who they were always meant to be; somewhere more playfully between indie, folk and pop, with a lyrical depth of a band that has worked through every stage of the grieving process.
Karah adds, “It feels like us. It feels like a path that finally feels like Valley.”
Decamping to a cabin in the Smoky Mountains in February, under the guidance of COIN’s Chase Lawrence, Valley spent the entire month with very little access to the outside world. Stuck in their feelings, the band processed their heartbreak and the future together following the departure of founding guitarist Mickey Brandolino.
“The songs just poured out of us,” Rob explains. “I think that’s a true sign of when you’re making something special. We weren’t looking for things to write about. We knew exactly what we needed to write about. This is the first time I think we’ve ever witnessed as a band where everything’s there, we just have to reach and grab it.”
Will be giving Valley’s Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden a spin?
