At the end of 2015, PopMatters named Detroit’s experimental pop group Valley Hush one of the best emerging artists. Four months later, they’re already capitalizing on that promise with the release of the first single from their forthcoming debut full-length.
Perhaps their most evocative number yet, “Iris” has a cinematic expanse. It opens with the lonesome sounds of blowing wind and some hollow tube percussion like layered marimbas and vibraphones. Instrumentation is initially sparse, allowing Lianna Vanicelli’s resonant pipes to take center stage and unfurl. As it builds, multi-instrumentalist Alex Kaye piles on the synths, effects, and beats to envelop the listener in a rich cocoon of sound.
“Through the intense highs and lows of living, we choose what we see and what we absorb,” the group said in a statement regarding the song’s inspiration. “We can either shrivel up and become trapped or move on and progress as a stronger being. If we remain open and honest even through pain and vulnerability, we are able to recognize and connect with the strongest energy that binds us all together, and experience the authenticity of love.”
Release details on the LP “Iris” calls home is under wraps for the moment, but if this tune is any indication, it’ll be a highlight of 2016.