On May 5th, the Toronto-based band, Valley, came to the Buckhead Theater as part of their “Lost In Translation” tour. Preceded by the young, promising artist Aiden Bisset, it was a special night of mesmerizing music.
Bisset was the perfect opener. He engaged well with his audience, likely winning the hearts of most of the girls in the crowd. He had a very diverse sound, playing your typical indie rock with genre-bending twists. A favorite of mine was “I Can’t Be Your Friend,” which featured a loud, psychedelic-style outro. I love seeing younger artists push the boundaries of their music and Bissett did that perfectly. This was even more prominent in his newer songs, offering classic rock-style riffs and messing with vocal effects. It’s easy to see Bissett’s influences, especially in the song “Out Of My League,” which felt like if Nirvana had a ‘High School Musical’ moment. It was as if Bissett was giving his best Troy Bolton impression on top of Cobain-inspired grunge sounds, but, done tastefully.
Meanwhile, Valley wasn’t messing around on their “Lost in Translation Tour,” as I constantly found myself lost in their performance. Music aside, they were a cool group, sporting flashy visuals on vintage televisions. They also utilized a dual piano set-up, and an old corded phone, each perfectly complimenting their sound.
After an attention-grabbing intro, they introduced their new music with Lost in Translation’s cinematic title track. They have a very diverse sound, which includes electronic loops and near-constant instrument switching. Despite this, they were cohesive, both in their sound and as a group. The energy there was infectious and you could tell everyone in the building loved the music, artists and audience included. There is nothing like hearing every voice singing together, as done for fan-favorite “Oh shit… are we in love?”.
A favorite of mine was “Last Birthday”, an acoustic serenade about unconditional love. It sounded to me like a slightly less depressing Clairo song and I was jamming the whole time. Lead singer Rob Laska let his vocal ability shine here. The pace picked up as they utilized an electronic drumkit, introducing a more upbeat 80s-inspired sound. Songs like “Natural” and “Break For You” stole the show, as everyone began to jump and dance. This seems to be the general sound of their upcoming album, and I am excited to hear what they came up with.
Before closing with the popular “Like 1999,” there was a particularly funny moment, as Valley quickly transitioned to “All Star” by Smash Mouth as a song outro. This sums the show up well because it felt as if they were a smaller band just playing for their friends. Every moment was authentic and real, with jokes and emotions riddled throughout, ultimately giving the show a personal feel. I highly recommend seeing Valley’s invigorating live show if the opportunity ever arises and be sure to check Lost In Translation, coming out June 23rd.
Jacob Feinberg is a student at the University of Georgia, studying marketing and music business, with hopes to find a career in music journalism or artist management. After years of listening to and studying music, Jacob has decided to share his knowledge and opinion through Vinyl Mag. His favorite genre is rap/hip-hop, but you can catch him listening to basically any genre (r&b, jazz, rock, etc.). Jacob has a deep love for music and artistry, and he hopes to apply that by highlighting Athens's rich music scene and all its talented artists.