Valley: Last Birthday [CAPITOL]

Why you'll love it

This edition is a limited pressing with a double-sided insert. Valley followed the album with a 2022 Juno nomination for Group of the Year, after an earlier nod for Breakthrough Group of the Year.

This edition

• Limited edition
• Double-sided insert

About the album

Plenty of bands form in a garage; Valley formed because of a scheduling error. In 2014 the members of two different Toronto bands were accidentally double-booked into the same slot at a local recording studio, and rather than argue about it, they started a new group together. The EPs Car Test and This Room Is White followed, then the album Maybe in 2019.

Last Birthday, their second full-length, shows Rob Laska, Alex Dimauro, Karah James and Mickey Brandolino in fine pop form. "Like 1999" is a nostalgic, sun-drenched singalong, "Society" came out of the band's own struggle to balance an accessible story with their artistic side, and "Tempo" and "Oh Sh*t...Are We In Love?" are loaded with big, hooky choruses. "Can We Make It? (Jim Carrey)" and "Paper Cup (Sorry For Myself)" show off their knack for a wry title.

They took the songs on a 30-plus city North American tour with Coin, whose Chase Lawrence would later produce their next album. We double-book the listening station at least once a week; nobody's formed a band yet, but we live in hope.

Also at Kops: more Valley on vinyl · browse CDN Pop / Rock

Tracklist

Listen

On Capitol (cat# 0243883248), a reissue of the 2021 album.