Who Is Valley Lights?
If you’re a fan of 80s nostalgia and electronic music, then you’ve probably heard of synthwave. And if you’re a fan of synthwave, then it’s time to add the album Two Lane Highway and its synthetic retrowave beats by California-based artist Valley Lights to your playlist.
For those of you who don’t know, Valley Lights gives a strong resemblance to a Jim Morrison who never aged and who traded drugs and alcohol for reps at the gym. I’m not saying his music is cleaner and more polished than the Doors frontman, but also that is exactly what I’m saying.
Synthwave first emerged in the late 2000s and draws inspiration from the sounds and aesthetics of the 1980s. The genre often features pulsating basslines, catchy melodies, and atmospheric synths that transport listeners back to the neon-lit streets of a retro-futuristic city. I’m going to name three songs that heavily influenced the modern synthwave style. “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell, “Blue Monday” by New Order, and “Take On Me” by A-Ha.
Congratulations. That was your synth crash course. If you want to get the full immersive experience, then you’ll want to add in the electronic sounds of Berlin’s Kraftwerk and Detroit’s CYBOTRON.
Two Lane Highway
In an exclusive interview with Ricky Lee Potts from his website, Valley Lights describes his inspiration for his latest album from a bad breakup and some of the worst pain he had experienced in his entire life.
The process of working through that pain was Two Lane Highway, an album according to the Valley Lights Bandcamp page that transports you “to a world of love, loss and excitement set against the backdrop of sun-drenched California coastlines.”
In that same interview Valley Lights also explains how he got his name, saying, “Valley Lights is basically an homage to the two places I grew up. I was born in a small town in New Mexico, but I consider LA my home. I was pretty depressed when I started the project and I guess “Lights” was kind of a choice to focus on the positive in life and moving forward, choosing light over darkness.”
Chasing The Summer
Valley Lights graciously lends his musical expertise to the We Live season finale. His track “Chasing Ghosts” lends to the overall cinematic vibes of the finale and can be heard about halfway through the episode.
Visit the Valley Lights Bandcamp page here to download his digital album or to purchase a physical cassette tape because you have to. That same Bandcamp page describes Two Lane Highway as “a visceral, danceable entry into the synthwave genre that takes hold and doesn’t let go.
Earworm melodies flow seamlessly over arpeggiated synth lines, power-chord guitars, and screaming saxophone solos. Like a mashup of Blade Runner and The Weeknd, Valley Lights relishes the neon aesthetics of the synthwave genre but is never afraid to break out of them with pop sensibilities that will immediately have you singing along.”
Summer Nights, Valley Lights
Recently, Valley Nights sat down with us at We Live and gave us an update on what he’s been up to since recording Two Lane Highway. His summer concert series Summer Nights just wrapped up and he is going to the studio to work on his follow up album.
Fortunately, Valley Lights wasn’t visited by zombies like most of our guests. However, his New Mexico studio was infiltrated by killer clowns. You read that right. It’s a thing. Listen to his interview in this episode of We Live and make sure to purchase his album on Bandcamp.