Premiere: Valley Queen Shares New Single "Nobody Ever"
New LP Chord of Sympathy Out April 21st
by Caleb Campbell
Valley Queen. Photography by Chris Phelps
Later this week, LA-based band Valley Queen are set to return with their sophomore full-length record, Chord of Sympathy. The band debuted in 2018 with their full-length record Supergiant, but have evolved significantly in the years since, reframing their creative process in the aftermath of the pandemic and the departure of one of their founding members. Band members Natalie Carol, Mike Deluccia, and Neil Wogensen each tried on new roles and new instruments, resulting in a more collaborative writing process and exuberant new sonic detours.
As vocalist and songwriter Natalie Carol explains, "Our full-length debut Supergiant was written from a lot of wounding, but Chord of Sympathy plays more like a love letter out to the world. Writing this one, I had more access to my inner love, which I wanted to share as a source of comfort for people who listen to our music. Supergiant's yin has been answered by Chord of Sympathy's yang."
The band returned this year with a trio of new singles from the record, "Cassavettes," "Pavement," and "Chord of Symptathy." Today, they're back with another new track, "Nobody Ever," premiering with Under the Radar.
"Nobody Ever" is the band's most upbeat and sunlit effort yet, one carried by a catchy bass groove, fizzy guitar lines, and shimmering synth melodies. On its surface, the track feels colorful and vibrant, yet it also shows off the band's playful approach to song structure and texture. The band are constantly adding new layers to the track or moving in new directions, such as with the song's spacey and psychedelic interlude. By its end, they craft a beautifully lush and layered soundscape, dripping with dreamy melodies and alluring rhythms. Meanwhile, Carol's lyrics are equally sweet and sugared as she offers a sweeping ode to a lover: "Now nobody's ever gonna love you/More than I do/If love is a language/My words are the sounds /Are the secret."
Carol says of the track, Call me crazy but I personally think "Nobody Ever" was written by Paul McCartney to Linda McCartney, or vice versa. I was working on this song when I moved into my first solo place in 2020 in Los Angeles and was spending a lot of time alone. I would have dreams where I would hang out with Paul and he would noodle melodies and fragments on the piano and I would lay around and listen. All I remember ever saying to him was "I love Linda". He said "I love her, too." Maybe "Nobody Ever" doesn't sound like Wings to anybody else but I know it's the closest I'll ever come to writing in their style, even if it was by accident. I think of Paul and Linda every time I hear the track and how sound might travel between the land of the living and the land of the dying.
Check out the song and video below. Chord of Sympathy is out everywhere on April 21st.
