VALLEY

Explicit content warning

05/03/21 • 27 min

Canadian pop group VALLEY joined us today for a new, slightly 90s-themed episode of “Music You’re Missing”.
Although we’re pretty sure they’re always this infectiously energetic, VALLEY is riding off the high of some insane news that we’re so excited to get the inside scoop on. Not only did they just announce their tour with COIN for fall 2021 - which will be VALLEY’s first batch of performances since quarantine - but they’ve also been celebrating an electric new single.
The nostalgic hit track, “Like 1999”, was born from a 30-minute songwriting exercise in a random AirBnB somewhere in the woods of Toronto (the usual setting for every viral hit). VALLEY was taking time over quarantine to focus on creating, and popped out “Like 1999” during a co-write with Charlie Adams and Johnathan of Nightly. The song completely blew up on TikTok - no surprise to us - and has been steadily growing since its release on all streaming platforms.
“‘Like 1999’ happened on the second night [of this trip] and totally by accident. We were doing a sad, kind of breakup song, and we weren’t really feeling it. So Johnathan was like ‘Let’s set a 30 minute timer and write a whole new thing’, and then “1999” was born... It happened super organically.”
Inspired by the throwback vibes of “Like 1999”, we set up a game of “Who’s Most Likely?” with the band, and found out that not only are they incredible musicians, but one of them may or may not be able to recreate the “Hit Me Baby One More Time” music video frame-by-frame.
If VALLEY is this dynamic over Zoom, we can’t wait to see the energy they bring to the stage with COIN this fall. Check out the full podcast and all of VALLEY’s antics on our new episode of “Music You’re Missing”! You can also find their nostalgic tunes on our Spotify playlist.

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Meet the Hosts 2

Brendan Jeannetti and Devon O'Heron speak on their ties to the music industry and play a Q+A game on this special episode of Music You're Missing!

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Heather Sommer

We knew that talking with Heather Sommer would be a joy after watching her captivating TikTok videos and listening through her introspective ear worm of an EP, “Nocturnal”, but this conversation was one for the books. Truly a genuine, supportive soul, talking with Heather Sommer felt different than other artists, as there wasn’t a hint of competitiveness or bitterness in her voice as she walked us through her musical journey.
She’s an artist through and through, having studied graphic design, painting, and drawing in college while also creating music. While this greatly contributes to her branding and outlook on her music, its also granted her a well-rounded perspective on arts industries, and how collaboration and support helps infinitely more than competition. Sommer’s viewpoint additionally filters into her TikTok success, with an audience of genuine fans growing every day. We talked about the toxicity and competitive atmosphere, and how she’s been able to look past the pressure of numbers and really be herself, cultivating this authentic audience.
Nearly her entire EP, “Nocturnal”, was created through collaboration with producers over Zoom, and the diversity shines through in the collection’s unique style and authenticity. Our favorite part about the Nocturnal EP is the way that the track list actually spells out a sentence, like a hidden message. These subtle details highlight Sommer’s range of artistic perspective and depict the depth in which she creates her art.
The EP also works through relevant topics, like how people tend to overlook the parts of their relationships that hurt them, and let themselves suffer for the sake of a friendship or partner that probably isn’t right for them anyways. I mean, that just hits straight to home.
If you couldn’t tell already, we’re big fans of Heather Sommer. This episode is chock-full of wisdom and honesty and just goodhearted realness that this industry needs. Check out the full episode of “Music You’re Missing” with Heather Sommer on our Spotify! Tracks from her EP “Nocturnal” will also be featured on our Spotify playlist.