Stream: Valley Queen, ‘Ride’

Daiana Feuer on July 2nd, 2018

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“Ride” is the fourth single to emerge from Valley Queen’s full-length debut, “Supergiant,” out July 13 via Roll Call Records. Natalie Carol began releasing music as Valley Queen– a name that references where ancient Egyptians buried their matriarchs– around 2014. With Shawn Morones replacing original guitarist David Donaldson, the band forged its chemistry with bassist Neil Wogensen and drummer Gerry Doot.

Tour life eventually compelled Morones and Doot to leave the band, and Carol had to replace them with session musicians. When it came to recording “Supergiant,” Carol wanted to bring the foursome back together. “I wondered how to record the record…I came back from these new tours feeling creatively depleted, like something important was missing.” Doot had a new baby and couldn’t participate, so Mike DeLuccia stepped in on drums, and Morones and Carol reconciled. The guitarist returned to the fold and the band teamed up with Lewis Pesacov as producer.

Carol describes the recording process as “transformative.” “It certainly trod the ground of the past, the difficulty and disappointment we had faced,” she explains. “But moving through and completing the project brought with it a sensation that the chapter was over. All of us will always be in process, we will always be learning how to better work with each other and ourselves.”

As for “Ride,” Carol wrote it in response to a pregnancy scare, and it showcases her emotionally open voice over a steady churning build. “The song grapples with desire to move and the grounded-ness that motherhood requires,” she explains. “I dedicate this song to women that have chosen to be mothers-as well as those that have chosen not to be mothers-and the courage that both paths require.”

||| Stream: “Ride”