Valley

With their buoyant blend of indie pop uplift and melodic hooks, Canadian band Valley rode a pair of independent EPs to viral success in the mid-2010s. The Toronto group signed with Universal in 2017 and found breakthrough success, receiving a Juno Award nomination for their 2019 debut album, Maybe. A trio of EPs followed over the next three years, including 2022′s The After Party.
Originally based in Oakville, Ontario, Valley came together by chance in late 2013 when its members were in separate bands (Cars & Guitars and National Parks) who were accidentally double-booked for the same time slot at a local recording studio. Singer Rob Laska, guitarist Michael Brandolino, bassist Alex Dimauro, and drummer/singer Karah James hit it off and decided to combine forces as Valley. Their 2015 six-track EP Car Test introduced fans to their winsome pop songwriting, and they followed it a year later with the longer, nine-song EP This Room Is White, whose lush single “Swim” was soon streamed into the millions. Within a year, Valley had signed a major-label deal with Universal Music Canada, and they began working on a full-length.
Released in two parts, Maybe: Side A appeared in 2018, featuring half of the material, with Maybe: Side B appearing as a second EP in May 2019. The combined Maybe album appeared in September, yielding the hit “There’s Still a Light in the House” and earning the band a 2020 Juno Award nomination for Breakthrough Group of the Year. Later that year, Valley returned with the non-album single “Hiccup.” Beginning in 2020, the group began releasing a new EP each year beginning with sucks to see you doing better, followed in 2021 by Last Birthday, then 2022′s The After Party. ~ Timothy Monger