Ears Wide Open: Valley Boy

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Valley Boy

“We all gotta die someday,” as Valley Boy‘s James Alan Ghaleb sings, so take a drag of their new song, “Cigarette.” The track follows their recently released debut single, “Black Cat.”

Born from the need for creative freedom, Valley Boy is the indie-rock/psych-pop brainchild of Ghaleb and Ian Meltzer. The L.A. natives met and became best friends back in middle school. Bonding over classic rock and divorced parents, the two eventually began playing music together in Ghaleb’s mother’s garage.

But Valley Boy did not come to life until several years later, after Meltzer had stints as a touring drummer and Ghaleb as a songwriter, working with Max Martin and Savan Kotecha.

“After spending so many years writing and performing for and with other people, the music we’re making as Valley Boy is the cathartic release of just doing what we want for ourselves,” Meltzer says.

The track, along with their dancey, pop throwback, “Black Cat,” is a preview of Valley Boy’s range. Ghaleb’s voice is lush and entrancing, as he switches gears from incandescent choruses to raw harmonies.

Their new single is a flashback to their rebellious adolescence. The snappy beat, potent bass line and layered production are a smokescreen for Valley Boy’s lyrics about growing up and living vicariously through defiant friends.

“‘Cigarette’ is my ode to a childhood spent being the reluctant and scared friend, think Chuckie from ‘Rugrats,’ in a group of more daring and adventurous boys,” Ghaleb says.

Meltzer adds, “The word ‘cigarette’ in the song is actually more of a symbol for dangerous behavior than it is a literal reference to smoking the sticks that killed my favorite aunt. James was always silently or not-so-silently judging me and our friend group for doing daring and stupid things like jumping into trashcans and drinking his dead grandpa’s liquor. I always encouraged James to join me in what I thought was perfectly age-appropriate behavior.”

The release comes with an animated music video, featuring the duo cruising the San Fernando Valley.

||| Watch: The video for “Cigarette”

||| Also: Stream “Cigarette” and “Black Cat”