Project Description
Similar Artists: Bob Mould, Ride, Guided by Voices
In 2020 Andrew moved back to Brisbane following an extended period of travel that was 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 release of The Valery Trails’ fourth album, The Sky Is Blue on August 12.
The Sky Is Blue is The Valery Trails’ most ambitious work to date, with the band working without a deadline and taking the time to produce each song to its logical conclusion without strictly adhering to a rigid sonic framework. Help was enlisted from Brisbane friends Tim Steward (Screamfeeder, We All Want To – guitars and vocals) and Skye Staniford (We All Want To – vocals) as well as online collaborations with a horn section in Atlanta, Georgia (Terminus Horns) and strings by Swedish musician Filip Magnusson
The album was mixed in North Carolina by Scott Solter, who 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. Scott was the perfect choice to bring together the diverse elements and different ideas explored in this set of songs, honoring each song’s direction while bringing them all together as an album.
Even as the band’s lives change and the world around them changes even more, The Valery Trails continue to strive towards their goal to build a body of work on their own terms.
News
RELEASES
“Think of bands like REM or maybe a happier Dinosaur Jr and you’ll know right where this group stands.” – Austin Town Hall
The Valery Trails announces the release of their album, The Sky is Blue, on August 12. With the travel season upon us, 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 Sky Is Blue is The Valery Trails’ most ambitious work to date, with the band working without a deadline and taking the time to produce each song to its logical conclusion without strictly adhering to a rigid sonic framework. Help was enlisted from Brisbane friends Tim Steward (Screamfeeder, We All Want To – guitars and vocals) and Skye Staniford (We All Want To – vocals) as well as online collaborations with a horn section in Atlanta, Georgia (Terminus Horns) and strings by Swedish musician Filip Magnusson.
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, India. Read more
Bio
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. With the assistance of the internet and some intercontinental travel, the trio developed a set of songs started in Andrew's home studio into The Valery Trails' debut album Ghosts and Gravity, released in February 2012.

“Think of bands like REM or maybe a happier Dinosaur Jr and you’ll know right where this group stands.”

"blurs the already quite blurry line between the band's tense shoegaze and wide-open, melodic guitar rock"

“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.”