Summer seemed to last only for a about week in Tasmania this year but then all of a sudden comes a ray of sunshine from Clifton Beach, a rather pretty seaside area near Hobart where the farmlands meet the seas. It is the new single from Valkyries – a short but sweet slab of low-fi melodic joy from a band that only formed last year but have already an awful lot of promise.
‘Serf’ is about the highs and lows of being a slave to a lifestyle and was written for the soundtrack of a surf film by filmmaker Howard Groves. The clip is somewhat wacky and fun, but this doesn’t distract from the song which, to me, is the sound of something serious with its guitar-driven wall of sound and vocals that recall the laconic Brit-pop style and Beach Boys doo-whop. It’s as fresh as the Tasmanian air, and a lot warmer:
You can have a listen the song here and it will be available online from 23 February 2018. Valkyries are Rob Woodward (lead guitar), Will Hollick (rhythm guitar, vocals), Darcy James (bass) and Dan Roberts (drums). Hopefully we will be hearing a lot more from them.
