“the track is dynamic and pulse quickening with a cool indie swagger and a joyful, indelible chorus.” – Backseat Mafia
BRISBANE, Australia (June 3, 2022) – The Valery Trails celebrates the summer travel season with the release of their indie-rock single, “Jaisalmer,” on June 28. With punk, power-pop, and garage rock flourishes, the single bursts with the vibrancy, chaos, and sensory overload synonymous with Jaisalmer (pronunciation: jay-sal-meer), India. It’s off the album, The Sky is Blue, on August 12.
Andrew Bower started writing the single while visiting Jaisalmer as part of a round-the-world trip. Andrew says, “The first verse popped into my head while traveling through India and wouldn’t go away, and I think it was my songwriting brain processing India’s chaos and sensory overload.” While some of the lyrics are a literal observation as a tourist in Jaisalmer, others are semi-literal. The COVID pandemic started to ramp up while they were in the latter stages of their time in India, influencing a sense of uncertainty. Andrew says, “We were starting to wonder what it would mean for the rest of our round-the-world trip.”
On the upcoming album, The Valery Trails takes the listener through a globetrotting exploration infused with energized guitar-walled hues. In 2020 Andrew Bower moved back to Brisbane following an extended period of travel that was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The album chronicles Bower’s stops around the world, including Jaisalmer India, the sleepy little beach community in Zancudo, Costa Rica, and Brisbane, Australia, where the journey started and ended.
The album was mixed in North Carolina by Scott Solter. He has recorded and mixed an eclectic mix of artists, including The Mountain Goats, Superchunk, St Vincent, and his own avant-garde / ambient projects such as Boxharp and The Balustrade Ensemble.
The Sky is Blue Track Listing
- Jaisalmer
- See Me Fall
- Zancudo
- The Sky Is Blue
- There but for the Grace
- These Times
- Make No Mistake
- Maybe
- Sometimes
- After the Show
About The Valery Trails
Andrew Bower (vocals/guitars), an expatriate Australian then living in Houston, enlisted his brother Sean Bower (bass) and Dan McNaulty (drums) in his hometown of Brisbane, Australia, to form The Valery Trails in 2011. The band has released three albums that have received airplay and charted on US and Canadian specialty and college radio and community radio in the US, Australia, and Europe. Songs by The Valery Trails have appeared on PBS’ “Roadtrip Nation” and MTV’s “Teen Mom 2” and been featured in online videos for the Dew Tour extreme sport online videos. In 2020 Andrew moved back to Brisbane following an extended travel period interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In between lockdowns and as restrictions eased, the band was able to spend time in the studio, producing a wealth of material for a busy 2022 release schedule. The Introvert Blues EP was released on February 25, followed by the Disappear EP on May 20, leading up to The Valery Trails’ fourth album, The Sky Is Blue, on August 12.
Praise for The Valery Trails
“their reference points are late ’80s college rock, which they channel into songs that are rugged and melodic — think the best moments of Sugar and Buffalo Tom and you’re getting close.” – J. Edward Keyes
“Split between Houston, Texas and Brisbane, Australia, the Valery Trails return with “Starsong,” which blurs the already quite blurry line between the band’s tense shoegaze and wide-open, melodic guitar rock.” – KDHX Song of the Day
“Yeah, we’re diggin’ this tune [Starsong], and not just because it reminds us of “Pretty In Pink” by Psychedelic Furs. OK, maybe that’s the main reason we like it, but we also get a Social Distortion vibe; that’s cool, too. And hey — e-bow solo!” – The Big Takeover
“If you’re looking to make your road movie about wide-open spaces and foolish choices coming back to haunt you, this just might be your soundtrack.” – PopMatters
