Brisbane jangle pop exponents The Valery Trails enticed us in with their single ‘Jaisalmer‘ back in June, and their follow up single ‘Zancudo’ confirms their prowess at creating an indelible sweet pop sound. We are very proud to premiere their new video for this sonic slice of sunshine.
Expansive multi-layered vocals create a heavenly chorus that is redolent of Teenage Fanclub in a tryst with The Byrds, while the wall of jingle jangle guitars create a shimmering foundation that recalls The Go-Betweens and REM. But The Valery Trails only tip a hat to these influences: they have carved out something of their own: an antipodean-flavoured bubbling effervescence that is captivating.
Andrew Bower, singer and guitarist, wrote the song after a spontaneous trip to Costa Rica (pre-pandemic) where he and his family rented a beachside cabin in Playa Zancudo, an intriguing little fishing community way down near the Panama border.
The song is an exercise in capturing the spirit and mood of a place and its people. I’m always drawn to “end of the earth” locations, partly because you meet interesting people there who tend to have fascinating stories about how they got there, so I wanted to try and write about that.
The video is simple: aerial shots of a coastline (Costa Rica), but it fits perfectly with the liberating sounds: free wheeling and cinematic with a touch of wildness:
‘Zancudo’ is available on The Valery Trails’ album ‘The Sky Is Blue’, out on 12 August 2022. You can pre-order through the link below.
Help on the album was enlisted from Brisbane friends Tim Steward (Screamfeeder, We All Want To – guitars and vocals) and Skye Staniford (We All Want To – vocals) as well as online collaborations with a horn section in Atlanta, Georgia (Terminus Horns) and strings by Swedish musician Filip Magnusson.
The album was mixed in North Carolina by Scott Solter, who has recorded and mixed an eclectic array of artists including The Mountain Goats, Superchunk, St Vincent and his own avant garde / ambient projects such as Boxharp and The Balustrade Ensemble.
Feature Photograph: Markus Ravik
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