Rising electro-pop artist Vale has announced that his debut EP will be called Aftertouch and will be released on Friday 29th April 2022.
It is a collection of songs that has, Vale says, evolved from a moment when he was unsure if it would ever be shared with anyone. “Some of it is rooted in darkness, more of it is questioning our place here. It can sound in places, cold, careless or maybe even hurtful… but it’s quietly hopeful, moving along, step by step,” he elaborates.
Today, Friday 25th February, he gives fans a further glimpse into what to expect from the EP by sharing new single ‘I Don’t Need You Right Now’; a song that will captivate listeners with its haunting electro soundscapes.
The single is the follow-up to ‘Allow and Breach’, Vale’s previous single that sparked a support slot with Soda Blonde in Cork’s Cyprus Avenue.
The Tipperary-based producer and vocalist has been building his catalogue and prolifically testing the waters with songs like ‘Tore It Down’ and ‘The Sun Is My Filter’.
Collaborating with people like Nashville-based producer Owen Lewis, Icelandic musician Sin Fang (of the band Seabear) and producer, multi-instrumentalist David O’Connor, Vale is the new project of Eoin Hally, who will be familiar to many from his previous band, Pale Rivers.
Having been conceptualised just before the dawn of lockdown in Ireland, the USA and Iceland, an incredible Vale live show is in the works with a full four piece band that includes Alex Ridley (HousePlants, Daithí) on drums, David O’Connor (Pale Rivers, The Workshop Studio) on Ableton and samples duty, Kate Twohig on piano and OP1 and Hally himself on vocals and, as he puts it, a whole bunch of synths.
Speaking about the single, Vale says: “This is a track that sat on my computer for ages but I just couldn’t let go of it. It always felt like a Vale song but didn’t quite sound like one. Late last year I was drawn back to it and it’s core idea: The need for the future-perfect. Landing in a moment and realising that what you were looking for was not the direction that you thought you were headed to; in fact it was way off in some other corner of a place you didn’t know you needed to be. That is what ‘I Don’t Need You Right Now’ is for me.”
Without a doubt, Vale is Hally’s most striking musical project to date; one that showcases honed writing skills and production that isn’t afraid to push boundaries, but nor is it afraid to show restraint. The result is expansive music that is as lush as it is sparse, with just the right level of restraint in between crescendos. This is music that is crying out to be experienced underneath a stretch tent, resplendent with an immersive AV show.
