After nearly a decade of making music, Toronto-based Juno Award-nominated band Valley is embracing change with their third studio album, Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden. The album marks a fresh chapter for the trio — Rob Laska (lead vocalist), Alex Dimauro (bassist), and Karah James (drummer) — as they rediscover their identity as a band.
The album’s conception can be traced back to a cabin retreat in 2021, where the band wrote the title track along with their viral hit “Like 1999,” the latter of which took their music into a more pop-centric direction. It wasn’t until last fall — over two years later — that the band rediscovered an old demo of “Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden.” This discovery planted the seed for what would become their most personal album yet.
“When we were looking through our Dropbox and we found ‘Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden,’ we realized, ‘Okay, this is what we want to chase now.’ This vibe felt really good,” James reflects.
Having previously collaborated with Chase Lawrence of COIN on the title track, Valley realized he was the perfect choice to help shape the rest of the album, eventually becoming an avenue for them to heal and evolve as a band following the departure of founding guitarist Mickey Brandolino.
Isolating themselves in the Smoky Mountains to write the album allowed Valley to be fully immersed in the creative process, which, although similar to their past albums, was a little different now that they were a trio. “We work very well in seclusion,” says Dimauro. “We focus, get the sillies out, and then finally have the ability to just narrow down where [the] creative focus needs to go. In that way, it’s similar for us, but obviously this was a new era, both literally and physically, being three.”
“We were grieving more, but because of that, we made a really honest statement and something that is really an authentic piece of work,” adds Laska.
“The biggest difference is that we didn’t let ourselves not be 100 per cent honest. This record was really important because of that; it set a precedent, not necessarily an expectation, but it set a tone and a mentality going forward.”
“Water the Flowers, Pray for a Garden” also helped the band realize and hone their unique sound, while moving away from the more polished, compressed production of their earlier work. “This record, you feel how beat up it is,” shares Laska. “You hear our spirit in it. You hear why Karah plays the drums the way she does, and you hear Alex’s bass slides and the way he plays his bass. And you hear the way I track guitar parts. Because I’m not a trained guitar player, you hear the kids’ version of the instrument.”
For Valley, each song on the album holds significance. “Every song in its creation process is an important song,” explains James. “You kind of have to treat it like it’s the most important song in the moment because you just need to give it the time that it deserves.”
Looking ahead, Valley are not planning on “turning off the faucet” of creativity any time soon, even as they prepare for a big touring year. The band continues to share their music and connect with audiences through live performances, which they feel are a special part of their journey.
Valley will wrap up the 2024 leg of their North American headlining tour with a final show in Toronto on Dec. 13 at History, a fitting homecoming to celebrate this new chapter. For tickets, click here.
