"Valley" raises the middle finger to perfection!
VALLEY GIVES THE METAPHORICAL AND LITERAL MIDDLE FINGER TO THE PRESSURE FOR PERFECTION IN NEW VISUAL FOR “SOCIETY”
PERFORMING AT WUNDERBUS FESTIVAL, BOTTLEROCK FESTIVAL AND JOINING COIN FOR 17-DATE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
“The words capture the experience of pop-star burnout. The chorus adds an upbeat yet provocative lament, continuing to say, ‘Society sucks/I think I messed up/I think I sold out when the sales went up.’” - Alt Press
“Although the lyrics hold major importance, the memorable tune behind the lyrics is nothing to gloss over either, with hints of inspiration from ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ by Wheatus and ‘All Star’ by Smash Mouth lingering in the background.” - American Songwriter
“I will put my hand on a bible or a copy of Rolling Stone or whatever you believe in and solemnly swear that there’s no other band knocking out pop hits like Valley.” - Soft Sound Press
Just last week, JUNO nominated, alternative-pop band, Valley shared their new song “SOCIETY” via Capitol Records. They return today with a fresh video to support the track that made waves on Spotify’s New Music Friday, It’s A Bop, Pop Sauce and Chill Pop playlists to name a few. Valley – comprised of Rob Laska, Karah James, Mickey Brandolino and Alex DiMauro – have spent the past two years developing organic buzz through a personal and intimate connection with their fans.
In the video, directed by Oliver Whitfield-Smith and produced by Dwight Jantzi, the band can be seen feeding into the fast rise to fame, cracking under the pressure, and eventually pushing back against the money-hungry fat cats to stay true to themselves. The band’s own bass player, Alex DiMauro, portrays the villainous music executive in the video. Fans have flocked to this track for the relatability of never being able to please everyone without first burning out. “SOCIETY” hinges on a hummable, clean guitar riff. Its head-bopping beat thumps in the background as Valley gleefully nods to “You Get What You Give” by The New Radicals and “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus. Laska comments, “To us, both those songs have such an uplifting chorus but lyrically deal with some frustration with the world / pop culture and just not letting it get you down. They both lyrically touch on not following the rules just because you're told to; trusting your own beliefs and making your own decisions.”
If TikTok happened in 1998, it might sound like this song. Underpinned by dancefloor-ready piano, the track rides this momentum towards the sweeping and shimmering hook. On the song’s meaning, Laska explains, “’SOCIETY’ tells a story of how our career can sometimes feel. We exist within an ever-changing creative industry full of opinions and music machines making everything go round. At times, what you truly have to say as an artist can feel diminished or not as important when it comes to the context of making a product or something that people will label as sellable and listenable. At the end of the day, ‘SOCIETY’ is Valley accepting the terms and conditions of our identity, songs and career, the fact that we’ll never be able to please everyone but also coming to terms that no matter what the public considers to be a ‘hit,’ we tell ourselves we’re always going to follow our own artistic arrow.”
“SOCIETY” follows Valley’s unanticipated release earlier this year, “Like 1999.” Its genesis traces back to a TikTok post that featured the chorus of an unreleased song. In only a few short days, the TikTok had over 700,000 views and over 100,000 likes with Johnny Orlando and JESSIA posting duets of the song on their own accounts. Valley rushed to finish “Like 1999” in under 48 hours for fans and the song went on to inspire thousands of creators and amass 2.5M+ views on the original TikTok post. Now their fastest growing song to date, “Like 1999” has helped push their catalog to eclipse over 100 million streams while breaking borders, appearing on viral charts in the U.S., Philippines, Korea, Japan and more.
Photo credit: Becca Hamel
After an unprecedented year for live music, Valley is excited to reconnect with their fans to perform across North America. The band is gearing up to play Wunderbus Festival in Columbus, OH and Bottlerock Festival in Napa Valley, CA at the end of the summer and then joining COIN on a 17-date North American tour this fall. See full list of tour dates below.
VALLEY 2021 TOUR DATES
Sat Aug 28 - Sun Aug 29
Columbus, OH
Wonderbus Festival
Fri Sep 3 - Sun Sep 5
Napa Valley, CA
Bottlerock Festival
Tue Oct 26
Birmingham, AL
Iron City Music Hall
Wed Oct 27
Nashville, TN
Ryman Auditorium
Fri Oct 29
Chicago, IL
House Of Blues
Sat Oct 30
St. Louis, MO
Del Mar
Tue Nov 02
Minneapolis, MN
Varsity Theater
Wed Nov 03
Kansas City, MO
The Truman
Fri Nov 05
Denver, CO
The Summit
Sat Nov 06
Salt Lake City, UT
The Complex
Mon Nov 08
Portland, OR
Revolution Hall
Tue Nov 09
Vancouver, BC
Rio
Thu Nov 11
Seattle, WA
Showbox Sodo
Sat Nov 13
Los Angeles, CA
The Wiltern
Mon Nov 15
San Diego, CA
Observatory North Park
Wed Nov 17
Phoenix, AZ
The Van Buren
Fri Nov 19
Dallas, TX
South Side Ballroom
Sat Nov 20
Austin, TX
Emo's
Sun Nov 21
Houston, TX
House Of Blues
ABOUT VALLEY
Valley puts together alternative pop with the care, adventurousness and personal touch of a handmade burned CD. Cycling through moods like your favorite throwback Pinterest board, the Toronto quartet amplify sticky hooks through eloquent songcraft that’s cognizant of what came before, yet ready for the future. 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 with self-written, self-produced releases, including the EP This Room Is White (2016), the full-length debut MAYBE (2019) and their last EP sucks to see you doing better (2020). They joined Lennon Stella and The Band CAMINO on sold out tours across North America and even picked up a 2020 JUNO Award nomination in the category of Breakthrough Group of the Year.