Sydney’s genre-defying trio Valley Onda return with their gripping new single ‘Minacious’, out now via Valley Onda Records. Known for their brooding textures and cinematic scope, the band of Jordan Wilson (vocals, guitar), Michiya Nagai (keys), and Galen Sultmann (drums) have steadily made waves with national tours supporting The Money War and Brightness, spins on triple j, and praise from tastemakers like The AU Review and Happy Mag. With past performances alongside legends such as Paul Kelly and John Mayer, and appearances at festivals like The Grass is Greener, Valley Onda have honed a sound that fully blooms on ‘Minacious’, an atmospheric and commanding meditation on fear and transformation, weaving together Western-style tension, soaring vocals, rich synths, and ambient swells, drawing comparisons to Radiohead, The Doors, and The Black Angels.
Read our exclusive interview with frontman Jordan below.
Tell us about you, how long have you been making music? What inspired you to start?
I started making music around year 7 or 8 at school. Pretty much as soon as I picked up a guitar. My dad always had a nylon which he’d jam on to put me and my siblings to bed. I wanted to learn that thing so bad, before you’d know it, I had. Before that, I was much more interested in rugby, but there was something mysterious going on with the writing process that I wouldn’t have been able to describe back then. I was writing the tiniest of ideas, but they contained the whole magnitude of what I’m doing now.
The music industry is super competitive these days, was there a moment in your life that you wanted to give up on music? How did you manage to stay focused and achieve what you want?
It’s probably best not to look at it as a competitive thing. Of course, we’re human and that creeps in, can even drive you a bit. But the source of it has to come from some joy you’re deriving, whether no one sees it or millions. It’s a good question though, would I continue to do this if it wouldn’t be seen at all? I can’t answer that. Usually, when I feel like giving up on music I’m focusing on something external rather than the joy I get from music itself, other hobbies can help to get you through this.
How would you describe your creative processes? Are the music and lyrics written in conjunction, or separately?
I was thinking about this the other day, it’s probably the main melody and basic chord structure. There’s usually a few words that help trigger this, maybe one line. After I have that floating around my head, I can step away from the piano or guitar and go walking literally with the idea and flesh out the picture lyrically from there. The bridge is usually last and can come months or years later. Then, voila.
Where did the inspiration come from?
That’s a huge question. Big Bang theory or creation? Maybe both. Sitting in nature, sacred plants, family, friends, Dylan. This particular track came from a healthy dose of Galen pushing me in the studio and having a bagful of lyrics.
What’s next for you?
We have another single coming in September, followed by our debut album in October. We’re super pumped and have been putting together our live set for the new material. I’m excited to see what comes next. At the moment, I’m just living on the edge.