Entirely New Blue

by Chad Valley

Overview

After increasing his profile over the course of two well-received EPs, Oxford's Chad Valley (aka Hugo Manuel) delivered a sparkling debut that reached beyond his Balearic/chillwave foundations into big, bright slabs of late-'80s and early-'90s pop. The LP was also somewhat of a star-studded affair featuring numerous guest spots from electronic indie luminaries like Active Child, Glasser, and Twin Shadow. His follow-up, 2015's Entirely New Blue, while no less colorful, is a far more solitary and revealing effort than its predecessor. Written partly in London during love's full bloom and concluded back in Oxford where he retreated alone, Entirely New Blue is, in large part, a breakup album. Assisted by producer Joel Ford (Oneohtrix Point Never, Young Ejecta), the dissolution of Valley's relationship with his longtime girlfriend plays out across these nine tracks with a heartfelt earnestness rather than outright melancholy. His soulful tenor opens the album with an impassioned plea on the a cappella "Understand," which, while bereft of instruments, is masked in harsh layers of Auto-Tune. It's a far cry from the slick, romantic dance-pop that opened 2012's Young Hunger and even when he picks things up a bit with "True," it's still a more intimate and subdued version of Chad Valley than before. The lush, rainy "Labasa" stands out as a highlight with its gentle refrains and inviting amber glow. Flashes of his big '80s pop ambitions reappear on tracks like the springy "Arms Away" and "Good Brains," which comes across like a sort of Balearic, Seeds of Love-era Tears for Fears. In all, Entirely New Blue is a nice follow-up for Valley that is evolved, personal, and subdued without resorting to excessive moodiness. ~ Timothy Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	10/01/2015
Label:	Cascine
UPC:	0639667198845
Rank:	96112

Tracks

1. Understand
2. True
3. Labasa
4. Arms Away
5. Moon Under Water
6. Not That Man
7. Seventeen
8. Good Brains
9. Alisa

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Chad Valley   Primary Artist