- A relatively new Melbourne based 3 piece, Secret Valley might not be on many people's music radar yet, but this self titled debut album may do something to change that; or not, how would I know? Originally hailing from Tasmania, the band have brought their talent to the mainland and have constructed a collection of bedroom pop tunes with admirable lo-fi production aesthetics and an easy aura of laid-back chill.

Opening track and potential mega-radio-hit The Night Life is an ode to living only for the weekend. It is pure electro-dance-pop and catchy as heck, with hazy boy/girl vocals advocating a lifestyle of hedonistic, wasted abandon over the mundane alternative of a well adjusted yet unfulfilled working life. The theme might be vacuous but the yearning for something more exciting is easy to relate to, all the same. You Will Never Be Satisfied opens with a cheapo drum machine and simple but quietly powerful keyboard line, which work their casio magic as a tale of bitter rejection and heartache is narrated in the first person. It is a nice counterpoint to the overt superficiality of The Night Life and adds some basic emotional depth to the album. Glitter Lung brings the noise and some abstract quirks to the foreground, with epic distorted keys and a demented chorus. What the hell is a glitter lung?

There's enough sonic variety throughout the album to keep things interesting, with the guitar and keyboard ratio about even. All instruments compliment and blend with each other well, as do the dual vocals. There's also some very decent stereo mixing given the basic production values. Things relax into tea drinking territory on stripped back folk inspired tune Morning Star and the album ends on a slow, expansive note with final track Storm, coming off like a soundtrack to the inevitable hangover one would experience at the tail end of the experiences expressed throughout.

Secret Valley is a well crafted and fun pop album. It's available only on limited release through independent Melbourne label Alberts Basement, and I have a feeling it will either be a small cult hit gained through good old fashioned word of mouth, or that it will just disappear into pointless obscurity. Hopefully the former.

- Matt Kennedy.