Valley Shares Reimagining of Coldplay's 'Christmas Lights'

Alternative-pop band, Valley – comprised of Rob Laska, Mickey Brandolino, Alex Dimauro, and Karah James – wrap up an eventful year with a holiday release, sharing a reimagined version of the Coldplay original “christmas lights” through Capitol Records/Universal Music Canada. Released last week, the Valley version has already garnered 178K global streams. 

Initially released in 2010, Valley unanimously chose “Christmas Lights” to cover because of the special place the Coldplay original holds in their hearts around the holidays. Lead vocalist, Rob Laska reminisces, “I remember walking home from high school every December and listening to the original version of this song on repeat. I have a lot of beautiful memories playing it at home during the holidays on a piano my parents shipped from my grandparents' house back in Poland. It's a nostalgic and powerful song for me and it's always felt like the perfect sonic depiction of what the holidays feel like for us.”

On their own version of “christmas lights,” the band shares, “we decided to reimagine the song through the lens of it feeling like an 80s ballad your grandpa throws on the record player in the other room by the tree while everyone's at the table. This one's almost meant to feel like a song that would soundtrack that last Christmas dinner with your grandparents or the final scene of a holiday episode of your choice. It's sad to think about the people you love not being around forever and the holidays tend to remind us of their missing presence when they're gone. Let this cover hold your hand and give you some form of comfort during the holidays, when some need it the most.”  

This holiday release caps off an important year for Valley that revolved around the release their sophomore album, Lost In Translation (June 2023). The band performed the album live for fans first on a North American tour, including two sold out nights in their hometown of Toronto, dropping dazzling new singles ahead of releasing the full project.

They received rave responses from audiences to the new songs on their set list that blend seamlessly into their catalog of danceable love songs. Lost In Translation has garnered over 75 million global streams since its release and features “Break For You” which reached Top 10 at Top 40 on Canadian radio, plus fan favorite “Have A Good Summer (Without Me).”

This summer Valley travelled across the world for their first ever headlining shows in Southeast Asia and Australia where their songs can be heard on the radio in Thailand and the Philippines. The band also received a plaque for 40 Million streams just in that territory, in Korea, Valley also received a plaque for their Last Birthday EP which is double platinum.

The band participated in a press conference in Korea where major outlets were finally able to connect with the band in person to hear all about the latest album Lost In Translation. Valley played their first show in Australia, in Brisbane they learned what ‘shoey' is. Following their global whirlwind, Valley returned home to join Dermot Kennedy as support on six Canadian dates of The Sonder Tour. 

ABOUT VALLEY

Canada's Juno Award nominated alternative-pop band, Valley, amplify sticky hooks through eloquent songcraft that's cognizant of what came before, yet ready for the future. Over the past few years, Valley released a steady stream of singles and EPs that have resonated with an international audience, garnering over half a billion global streams with tracks often appearing on viral charts in the U.S., Philippines, Korea, Japan and more.

In 2016, Valley formed by accident when a local studio double booked them. During high school, Mickey and Karah played in one band, while Rob and Alex played in another. They introduced themselves to the world with self-written, self-produced releases, including the EP This Room Is White (2016) and full-length debut MAYBE (2019), followed by sucks to see you doing better (2020) and Last Birthday (2021).

The consistent release of new music garnered the band two JUNO Award nominations and praise from the likes of EARMILK, Wonderland, American Songwriter and CBC. Their gold certified single, “Like 1999” which originates back to a TikTok post broke international borders as it appeared on global viral charts.

Valley are known for their energetic live shows, opening for the likes of Lennon Stella, The Band CAMINO and Arkells plus performing at renowned music festivals across the world including The Governors Ball, Slow Life, Slow Live Festival, Wunderstruck, Life Is Beautiful and last year the band nearly sold out their first-ever North American headlining tour.

Valley's hard work has paid off as they were profiled as part of prestigious programs such as Apple Music's Up Next Artist alongside the release of their Apple Music Home Session plus a Spotify Singles Session. The group performed as part of Stephen Colbert's #LiveAtHome sessions for their debut US TV appearance plus they opened the biggest Canadian sporting event, playing the 2022 Grey Cup kick-off show. 2023 has been an explosive year for the group with so much more to come in 2024. 

Photo Credit: Becca Hamel

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