Photo Credit: Becca Hamel
‘WATER THE FLOWERS, PRAY FOR A GARDEN’ NORTH AMERICAN
HEADLINING TOUR STARTS IN SEPTEMBER AND IS ON-SALE – HERE
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’s third album Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden (out today via Capitol Records/Universal Music Canada) 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.”
The title track was written in 2021, when the band was isolating in a cabin to write new music. During that time, they wrote their new album’s title track as well as the song “Like 1999,” which was released in February 2021, garnering multiple certifications globally and becoming a viral hit for the group. “Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden,” a song about love, loss and finding the silver linings, would remain tucked away in a Dropbox full of unreleased demos for the next three years while “Like 1999” inspired a more pop direction for Valley, which they pursued with gusto on 2021’s Last Birthday and last year’s Juno-nominated album Lost in Translation. “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.” Today’s focus track, the intimate, folky “Bop Ba” is another song that explores some of the other changes in their lives. It has a different meaning for each member, with Rob relating it to his mother’s struggle with bipolar disorder while Karah pulled inspiration from a feeling of dependency and unhealthy attachment in a romantic relationship.
Over the course of the album, you will hear the true pain and true joy Valley experienced while making it. In hitting rock bottom, they found new stones to turn over in their garden, leading to the band’s “most intimate and personal and special record,” lead singer Rob Laska says, to enthusiastic nods from Karah and Alex. “This is the record we’ve always dreamed of making.”
Water The Flowers, Pray For A Garden Tracklist:
1. Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden
2. A Little More
3. Growing (Apart)
4. When You Know Someone
5. Let It Rain
6. Crawlspace
7. Mosquito
8. Bop Ba
9. I Didn’t Even Ask For This
10. Bass Player’s Brother
11. Life Goes On Without Me
12. Cocoon
ABOUT VALLEY
Juno Award nominated band Valley return this year with their most intimate and personal record yet. Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden is an exploration of grief and resilience from one of today’s most exciting alternative-pop bands. Since forming in 2016, Valley have accrued over 1 billion streams globally, having appeared on viral charts in the US, Philippines, Korea, Japan and more. Along with their three Juno Award nominations, the band has also garnered praise from Consequence, Wonderland, American Songwriter and CBC. Helping prompt much of their global recognition was “Like 1999,” a gold certified hit that went viral on TikTok. Valley have also become known for their high-energy live shows, which have been brought to renowned festivals like Life Is Beautiful, Governors Ball, Slow Life and Wunderstruck as well as their debut US TV performance as part of Stephen Colbert’s #LiveAtHome session. Having opened for artists like Lennon Stella, Dermot Kennedy, COIN and the Band CAMINO, Valley also nearly sold out their first-ever North American headlining tour.
FOLLOW VALLEY
My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago
