Lockdown got you down? Canadian alt-pop band Valley is here to save the day with their new EP. Sucks to See You Doing Better is a 20-minute time capsule that puts the frustration, restlessness and even heartache of our current weird times front and center- and if you’re not listening, that’s on you.

It’s been about a year since I fell in love with this dreamy quartet and everything they’ve decided to do since that fateful show has been nothing short of amazing. With the release of lead single “nevermind” only a couple months into quarantine, it was immediately clear that this band had their collective fingers on the pulse of what would become a universally acknowledged mood from those early stages to now.

Valley is relentless in their quest for the “perfect song”, spending hours writing, recording and goofing off together and their effortless camaraderie is woven into every fiber of this EP. Listening through for the first time invoked an antsy feeling so overwhelming that I simply had to get up and shake it out. Thankfully, it’s easy to dance your way through “BE THE ONE” and “hiccup” and you won’t be able to resist bobbing your head to the acoustic version.

Like much of the world, Valley was also subjected to the temporary shutdowns that came on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, so they turned that into “homebody” and summed up this writer’s brand almost too perfectly. There’s a mood for everyone in only six tracks and you won’t be able to stop listening- take it from someone who’s had this on repeat since it dropped only hours ago.

If these Canadian dreams haven’t stolen your heart yet, Sucks to See You Doing Better will win you over from the first notes. This year has been anything but easy, but at least we can all vibe together while we ride out the rest of this uncertain journey.

Story by Olivia Khiel
Image courtesy of Valley