Just last week, JUNO nominated alternative-pop band, Valley shared their new song “SOCIETY” via Capitol Records. They return today with a fresh video to support the track that made waves on Spotify’s New Music Friday, It’s A Bop, Pop Sauce and Chill Pop playlists to name a few. Valley, comprised of Rob Laska, Karah James, Mickey Brandolino and Alex DiMauro have spent the past two years developing organic buzz through a personal and intimate connection with their fans. Watch the official video for “SOCIETY” HERE.
In the video, directed by Oliver Whitfield-Smith and produced by Dwight Jantzi, the band can be seen feeding into the fast rise to fame, cracking under the pressure, and eventually pushing back against the money-hungry fat cats to stay true to themselves. The band’s own bass player, Alex DiMauro, portrays the villainous music executive in the video. Fans have flocked to this track for the relatability of never being able to please everyone without first burning out.
“SOCIETY” hinges on a hummable, clean guitar riff. Its head-bopping beat thumps in the background as Valley gleefully nods to “You Get What You Give” by The New Radicals and “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus. Laska comments, “To us, both those songs have such an uplifting chorus but lyrically deal with some frustration with the world/pop culture and just not letting it get you down. They both lyrically touch on not following the rules just because you’re told to; trusting your own beliefs and making your own decisions.”
If TikTok happened in 1998, it might sound like this song. Underpinned by dancefloor-ready piano, the track rides this momentum towards the sweeping and shimmering hook. On the song’s meaning, Laska explains, “‘SOCIETY’ tells a story of how our career can sometimes feel. We exist within an ever-changing creative industry full of opinions and music machines making everything go round. At times, what you truly have to say as an artist can feel diminished or not as important when it comes to the context of making a product or something that people will label as sellable and listenable. At the end of the day, “SOCIETY” is Valley accepting the terms and conditions of our identity, songs and career, the fact that we’ll never be able to please everyone but also coming to terms that no matter what the public considers to be a ‘hit,’ we tell ourselves we’re always going to follow our own artistic arrow.”
“SOCIETY” follows Valley‘s unanticipated release earlier this year, “Like 1999.” Its genesis traces back to a TikTok post that featured the chorus of an unreleased song. In only a few short days, the TikTok had over 700,000 views and over 100,000 likes with Johnny Orlando and JESSIA posting duets of the song on their own accounts. Valley rushed to finish “Like 1999” in under 48 hours for fans and the song went on to inspire thousands of creators and amass 2.5M+ views on the original TikTok post. Now their fastest growing song to date, “Like 1999” has helped push their catalog to eclipse over 100 million streams while breaking borders, appearing on viral charts in the U.S., Philippines, Korea, Japan and more.
After an unprecedented year for live music, Valley is excited to reconnect with their fans to perform across North America. The band is gearing up to play Wunderbus Festival in Columbus, OH and Bottlerock Festival in Napa Valley, CA at the end of the summer and then joining COIN on a 17-date North American tour this fall.
