Get giddy for Snake Valley’s debut album set for release in September
Subscribe
X

Subscribe to Forte Magazine

17.08.2020

Get giddy for Snake Valley’s debut album set for release in September

Photo by Jacob Mullins
Words by Bella de Almeida Reis

Band members: Matt Martin, Walter Clayworth, Lachie Reynolds, Scott Urwin, Brendan Seibring.

Tell me a bit about the band and what you’re up to at the moment.
Snake Valley is a 5-piece garage rock/punk band. We originated in Ballarat in 2018, where we played gigs around town, and since then have been on and off until finally last year we got our shit together with a solid lineup and released a single which was accompanied by a mini-state tour. We are currently based in Melbourne, however we have members who also live in Ballarat and Mornington. At the moment we aren’t up to much as you could imagine, however we did recently announce our debut album Giddy Up! and have been spending a lot time over the past few months organising its release.

How have you been keeping inspired during isolation? Who are you listening to?
It’s definitely been hard work. With members in different cities, getting together for practice isn’t really an option. We have all been occupied by our own things throughout lockdown, and even though this does seem like a great time to be writing and working, we are happy with what we are doing at the moment, just focusing on our current work and organising what we can online. We have quite a range of tastes, but across the band we are currently loving Neil Young, Powerplant, Big Black, Street Sects. We also have a band playlist on Spotify that’s full of our favourite tunes.

What advice would you give to other musicians who are struggling for creativity?
Well, firstly avoid stressing over it. This is a tough time for everyone and struggling through the process can put you in quite a negative place mentally, which definitely isn’t a healthy place to be in during isolation. Don’t force yourself into it, now is the time for experimenting and having fun with what you can do.

What’s been the hardest challenge making music in this climate?
Definitely not being able to see each other. As useful and as convenient as video call options are, trying to use it to write music with the band just ain’t gonna happen. We sometimes struggle when it comes to the writing process, and like many other bands, we benefit enormously from being in the same room and bouncing ideas off of each other. As well as that, most of us are at uni where we are constantly creating too, so it’s hard to find time and extra motivation to also be focusing on music for the band.

Should we expect any new releases from you soon?
Hell yeah, our debut album Giddy Up! is out September 18th through Red Cave Records and will be available on all streaming platforms. This album has been a lot of hard work and a long time coming that couldn’t have been done without a lot of people we hold dear to us. We are very, very excited for y’all to hear it.

Check out their limited-edition album merch here.

Find Snake Valley on Instagram, Facebook and Triple J Unearthed.