Alternative-pop band, Valley – comprised of Rob Laska, Mickey Brandolino, Alex Dimauro, and Karah James –wrap up an eventful year with a holiday release, sharing a reimagined version of the Coldplay original “christmas lights” through Capitol Records/Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company. Released last week, the Valley version has already garnered 178K global streams.
Initially released in 2010, Valley unanimously chose “Christmas Lights” to cover because of the special place the Coldplay original holds in their hearts around the holidays. Lead vocalist, Rob Laska reminisces, “I remember walking home from high school every December and listening to the original version of this song on repeat. I have a lot of beautiful memories playing it at home during the holidays on a piano my parents shipped from my grandparents’ house back in Poland. It’s a nostalgic and powerful song for me and it’s always felt like the perfect sonic depiction of what the holidays feel like for us.”
On their own version of “christmas lights,” the band shares, “we decided to reimagine the song through the lens of it feeling like a 80’s ballad your grandpa throws on the record player in the other room by the tree while everyone’s at the table. This one’s almost meant to feel like a song that would soundtrack that last Christmas dinner with your grandparents or the final scene of a holiday episode of your choice. It’s sad to think about the people you love not being around forever and the holidays tend to remind us of their missing presence when they’re gone. Let this cover hold your hand and give you some form of comfort during the holidays, when some need it the most.”
This holiday release caps off an important year for Valley that revolved around the release their sophomore album, Lost In Translation (June 2023). The band performed the album live for fans first on a North American tour, including two sold out nights in their hometown, dropping dazzling new singles ahead of releasing the full project. They received rave responses from audiences to the new songs on their set list that blend seamlessly into their catalogue of danceable love songs. Lost In Translation has garnered over 75 million global streams since its release and features “Break For You” which reached Top 10 at Top 40 on Canadian radio, plus fan favourite “Have A Good Summer (Without Me),.”
This summer Valley travelled across the world for their first ever headlining shows in Southeast Asia and Australia where their songs can be heard on the radio in Thailand and the Philippines. The band also received a plaque for for 40 Million streams just in that territory, in Korea, Valley also received a plaque for their Last Birthday EP which is double platinum. The band participated in a press conference in Korea where major outlets were finally able to connect with the band in person to hear all about the latest album Lost In Translation. Valley played their first show in Australia, in Brisbane they learned what ‘shoey’ is. Following their global whirlwind, Valley returned home to join Dermot Kennedy as support on six Canadian dates of The Sonder Tour.
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