‘A potent mix of seething guitars and off-kilter lyrics leaves you haunted by disequilibrium.’
Intro to Valleyheart
Massachusetts rock band, Valleyheart, have just unveiled their latest single T.I.K (Thoughts I Keep) and fans are going to love it! Originally formed in 2016, The four-piece have already received praise from the likes of Alt Press, American Songwriter and Kerrang! as well as gained streams in excess of 3 million. Marked by introspective lyricism, mournful melodies and driving guitars, their tracks have quickly gained the attention of music lovers and seen them achieve ‘Rock Artist of the Year’ (Boston Music Awards), and an ‘Album of the Year’ nomination for 2018’s extended release ‘Everyone I’ve Ever Loved’. Kicking off 2021 with such musical purpose, you know it’s only a glimmer of what is to come.
Track Review
Valleyhearts latest single T.I.K (an acronym for Thoughts I Keep), does not deviate from the blueprints, sticking to the powerful, dynamic rock elements, clashing guitars and hidden flavours of punk that have already gained them so much attention. Instantly it’s a potent sound that leaves you haunted by disequilibrium and makes you desperate for a glimpse of the complex thoughts behind it. Equally, with the band continuing to drown the folk songs that lead singer/songwriter Kevin Klein wrote in his home closet studio in dynamic alt-rock, you’ll struggle to get their music out your head.
Jolting you into what can only be described as an ice bath of the psyche, you are forced into the mind of the songwriter while contemplating the somewhat contradictory behaviours human beings possess. Speaking about how this very element is put across, Klein says: “I wanted those tensions and weight paralleled in the instrumentation; hence this probably being the heaviest and hard-hitting track.”
With seething guitars and crushing chugs of percussion, there is no doubting the weight of the single. It clings to every guitar scrape and off-kilter lyric like some kind of tainted syrup. This unique and dense sound is then filled with electricity giving it the raw, punchy and infectious rock dynamic that Valleyheart are loved for. This said, within the familiarity is a real sense of musical development too.
Whereas the band’s first EP, Nowadays (2017), gained attention for its nostalgic, relatable lyrics, T.I.K appears to very much take after their album ‘Everyone I’ve Ever Loved’. Linking with that release, we are very much taken on a conceptual journey. However, instead of delving into faith and identity, we are thrown into the deepest, darkest depths of an ‘existential trip’ of the mind. In this sense, Valleyheart have taken their music yet another step further, potentially testing what kind of waters lie in this new creative space of alternative rock. Whether this is the case or not remains to be seen, but we can be assured that no matter the musical direction the band will go in from here, we’re pretty certain that we will be with them every step of the way.
Full feature by Harriet Heywood
