Pitstop: Loud Valley

My discovery of Orlando band Loud Valley came, surprisingly enough, from reading a show bio. It was a strange sort of chance that led to me perusing Day Joy's bio for the Cameo Gallery gig opening for Secret Mountains' record release show despite knowing more or less exactly who they were (I had in fact seen them just the night before). And that perusal led to Loud Valley as I learned they and Day Joy share several members. Of course I was intrigued.



Loud Valley, the brainchild of Travis Reed, is another one of those genre-defying bands Florida seems to be churning out in full force these days. Unlike Day Joy, with whom the band now shares the majority of its members, Loud Valley isn't quite so melancholic; allowing itself brightly lit traverses alongside it's ear-opening, buoyant weaving of textures all while managing to sound rather straightforward. At times recalling sunkissed lounge days and at others giving in to darker tendencies. The band's only record at present, the self-titled full length, hits a rather large number of moods all the more effective due to the album's rather cohesive build up. Tracks seems to spring forth from the end of others; logical progressions from either brighter or darker, more layered moods established before. In fact, Loud Valley ends very much how it starts - a far more jubilant echoing of "Pensacola" on "Daytona Beach".

Actually, Loud Valley shares a lot in common with Lord Huron's Lonesome Dreams; both sharing a rather cinematic western feel (especially "The Refrain") with tracks that seem to conjure up images of wide-open sun-warmed lands. But where Lord Huron spins a rather clear-cut pop feel from his previous experiments, Loud Valley seems wholly content dwelling in less predictably linear territory.



Since the release of its debut, Loud Valley has undergone a couple changes - shedding many of its members and, if the more recent track "Orlando City Blues" is anything to go off of, it's sunnier tendencies. It's not exceptionally dark, but the  noticeably more jammy Loud Valley's track surrenders over the folk-recalling dream pop vibe in favor of a something far more garage rock. Not a particular head-scratching turn when going from Loud Valley's penultimate released track "Ruins". It's a different Loud Valley but one that still manages to make you interested in what's in store. Here's hoping not too long before we find out. Until then, check out more of their tunes via their Bandcamp.

Pitstop: Day Joy

Clearly there's something in the water down there in Florida. That's possible the only way to explain the sudden outpouring of new bands making invigoratingly creative new music like folky Orlando band Day Joy. While last year we were introduced to the masterful song craftsmanship of Hundred Waters and Levek, this year thanks to those fine folks over at Small Plates Records, we've been gifted with Day Joy and their debut full length Go To Sleep, Mess.



Similarly to other Florida bands who are suddenly making themselves known, Day Joy's greatest feat in taking something familiar and transforming it into something new and altogether unique without diminishing its relatability. Featuring the songwriting chops of Michael Serrin and Peter Michael Perceval III, Day Joy's songs are coated in lush textural atmospheric that elevate their melancholic folk into something more.  And while the lyrics are certainly in no need of face-lifts, steeping them in differing textures gives them a sort of freshness and distinctive impact regardless of how many times you hear them.



While Day Joy's debut album is most assuredly an absolutely breath of fresh air, what's more incredible is their live set. I had the opportunity to see them not once but twice in a row and each show managed to be different but filled with a similar and electrifying energy. When Day Joy took to the stage at Secret Mountains' record release show, they played with a vivaciousness that belied the lethargy of their song's themes and moods intending quite clearly to outdo their already endearingly good show the night before. A intent they no doubt achieved. Unhampered by technical issues and filled with a well-deserved air of confidence, I can say with 100% certainty that everyone who saw them that night left a fan. As well they should.



After seeing them live, the record, while amazing, doesn't do the band enough justice. Live, their sleepy songs invoke a strange sort of excitement as you watch the layers coalesce in real time. Cello, multiple guitars, synths, banjo - it was a musical smorgasbord where each timbre was utilized effectively to create just the right kind of coloring that made your heart ache, pang, and leap especially when paired with Serrin's unexpected, emotive and strangely fitting punky shouts. Live versus on record, Day Joy are almost like two different beasts yet enjoyable all the same. If you have the opportunity to see the Florida band live, I'd most certainly recommend it but a couple dozen spins of their album is worthy of the same rigging endorsement. Check out Day Joy, you'll be glad you did.





You can purchase the debut record Go To Sleep, Mess from Small Plates Records.