EPS.49 Synthwave Stories: A Chat with Kai from Valley Lights on Music, LA, and Inspiration

Robbie [00:00:00]:
 synth pop, it's coming for you. Hi, I'm Robbie. It's Chatting Tracks. Let's Talk Music. Let's Talk Music indeed. Welcome to today's episode. On this channel, I love discovering new artists and new bands. And I got reached out to by a record company while ago and said we've got this great new artist.

Robbie [00:00:19]:
We'd love you to check him out. His name is Valley Lights, but his real name is Kai. And I said, what does he do? They said, like, 80 synth pop. So they sent the album over. I played it. It's Fantastic. He does an amazing cover of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, and his new album, 2 Lane Harway, just dropped. There's links in description for both.

Robbie [00:00:36]:
It's so eighties, in fact, that you could bury it in the ground, get your mates over, dig it up, put it on the turntable, and they wouldn't know it wasn't the eighties. He's got an amazing way of keeping the old style, but making it contemporary modern all at the same time. He writes all his own stuff apart from the cover of Dreams, obviously, and he's just got that real flavor for the eighties. He's a fantastic guy, and I just had to have him on just to talk about his new album and the single Dreams. If you can, like and subscribe. If you've done it already, thank you so much. I really, really appreciate it because it lets me talk about music all day long. And if you got anybody you know that you think, actually, you know what? You should talk to Robbie.

Robbie [00:01:06]:
Send them over to me, and I'd love to have a chat with them. I love discovering new heists. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. It's fantastic, and I'll see you on the next one. Tada. Growing up as a kid, was your house quite musical? Was your parents into music? Is that where your influences come from?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:01:20]:
No. I mean, I I definitely got some. My dad, not so much. He was always pretty mellow. I know that he liked The Who a lot, but beyond that I mean, Badfinger and actually, no. I I guess I would credit my dad with turning me on to Fleetwood Mac, and I I Love them. And, you know, if you listen to the album, I did a cover of Dreams. And, my mom was more so.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:01:46]:
She was a huge Doors fan, and, I definitely credit The Doors as, like, a huge inspiration and Jim Morrison. And, So I definitely did pick up some from my parents, but they weren't you know, they were not as as openly passionate about Music is like I am, for example. I feel like if I had a kid, I'd be like, alright. Now we're listening to this. And and do you know the story about this band and blah blah blah? But, yeah, I picked up a few things and and definitely thankful for that, especially for the Doors. I mean, I love those guys.

Robbie [00:02:21]:
I mean, a brilliant band. I I mean, to this day, to me, underrated completely as well. I still don't think they get credit. They deserve to me. I mean, to me, they were one of the 1st prog rock bands as well, the way they sort of take the keyboards off and do the leads and stuff like that. And to me, Yeah. To me, America created that. No.

Robbie [00:02:38]:
It wasn't the the English bands. It was the US bands that did it.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:02:42]:
Yeah. No. Raymond's Eric was Insane. And, like, I I really feel like, musically, it was kinda like, obviously, Jim was the poet and the Singer, but I think musically, like Raymond Zarek and the fact that he was a organ player really created that unique sound. And I got to see the doors of the 21st century, like god. It was probably 15, 20 years ago at this point. I don't know. But, It was, Ian Asbury from from,

Robbie [00:03:13]:
what is it? From the Cult.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:03:15]:
From the Cult. Yes. He was singing, and that was cool. But it was just so cool to see Robbie Krieger up there. You know? He's, like, 70 years old, and he's got his, he's got his Gibson, and he's just up there shredding and and seeing Raymond Zarek. Yeah. It was it was awesome.

Robbie [00:03:31]:
I mean, they've been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. I I just love the tours. I mean, lyrically as well, when you when you look at the lyrics of Jim, it's just mind blowing. The sort of it it's like a pre runner to Morrissey from The Smiths, the way there was, like, 2 meanings to each lyric.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:03:45]:
Yeah.

Robbie [00:03:46]:
And you can take it each way. The only thing that does annoy me, though, is they sort of look him as this rock god rather than this amazing poet.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:03:53]:
Yeah. Well, no. I know that was always a a constant gripe. It's like he almost gets stripped of his artisticness and his tivity because he's just sort of like the stereotype of a rock sex god kinda guy, which which, you know, I think is Cool. But at the same time, I don't think he gets his artistic flowers the way some other people do.

Robbie [00:04:15]:
Do you think the the doors would have worked if they were from New York?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:04:19]:
No. No. No. Absolutely not. I think I think that the doors are just quintessential California. You know, Venice Beach. I mean, I think I think there could have been something like The Doors from New York, but, no, that's that's one of the things I like about them is they really represent The California sound. And, you know, it's not like the Beach Boys or something.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:04:48]:
Like, there's some darkness and some edge to it. But No. I really think it was that that growing up in LA and Hollywood and Venice that really kinda turned them into the what they are. I mean, LA woman. The album, the song, like, that is just so so LA, and and that's who the doors were.

Robbie [00:05:10]:
I mean, I I was just curious because obviously, you're living in LA at the minute, and your album's very LA sounding. So we'll we'll talk about them in a second. But It's just, like, talk talk about the Doors and yourself that you sort of said it's very LA. From an English person that's never been to LA, What is it about that that area that makes it, like, bands like The Doors and Love have that sound? What what do you think it is that, What brings is it the weather? Is it just the atmosphere?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:05:36]:
It's everything. It's it's definitely the weather. I mean, that to have this it's literally a feeling of perpetual summer. Even in the wintertime, like, the worst weather LA gets is, like, wind. You know? It's the weather. It's the palm trees. It's Sunset Boulevard. It's Hollywood Boulevard, and, you know, it it just it has a vibe to it.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:06:05]:
And and I think, You know, there is a stereotype about LA, and there are some negative things about LA about how everybody's just sorta, like, vapid or sycophantic or whatever. But, the reality is it does have a very artistic spirit. And If you go there and you're just open to creating, whether it's music or art or theater or whatever, It is a place where you're gonna feel inspired, and you're gonna meet like minded individuals. You're gonna meet people. It's a city where people are searching. Right? They're searching for, you know, pieces of themselves, And it's a place where you will find and connect with in the millions of people that are there, you will find kindred spirits. And, for me, personally, I'm a water person, and the beach has always been a huge source of inspiration. And, Yeah.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:07:04]:
Venice Beach, Santa Monica, 2 of my favorites, 2 of my favorite places to go. And I I don't know. Like, it just kinda feels like you're in a movie sometimes when you're in LA. And, I mean, don't get me wrong. There are some problems, and it's not really fun being stuck in traffic all the time. But if you're open to the the creativity that it offers, like, you you can definitely be a conduit for it.

Robbie [00:07:29]:
I mean, to me, LA had 2 renaissances. You had the sixties, and then you had the eighties. Pretty much Yeah. You had this big gap in the seventies, but you had the eighties as well because because you had, obviously, all the people that are transients moving through and the musicians. Then you had all the clubs, like the Roxy,

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:07:44]:
the the

Robbie [00:07:45]:
Troubadour, and which which is a place I'm desperate to go to, the Troubadour, and the London Fog and all these places. At this the state of LA now, do Do you think there could be another one of those sorts of periods where you got the right clubs and the right people and the right bands?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:07:59]:
I think that, you know, the soil of LA will always be fertile to another movement. It does feel like, you know, it does feel like a little bit stagnant in some ways because because it already did have those 2 huge eras. Like, You know, you had The Doors playing the Whiskey A Go Go, and it's still there. And then, you know, you had the the hair metal scene and the sunset strip and all of that stuff. And I I think there will always be an opportunity for that, but it's just kinda like these things come in waves. So who knows? I mean, to be honest with you, one of the things I'm I'm relatively new to the kind of synthwave scene, but I I started an Instagram chat group and just kinda I I did my best to connect all of the similar artists and Synthwave people, in LA because I was like, you know what? Like, this doesn't have to be individualistic. Like, let's put LA On the map, you know, and, like, not to talk shit, but it's like, you know, the Brits have been holding this stuff down for a long time. Like, let's put LA on the map.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:09:11]:
You know, just to be like because I do think about that. You know? I think about all the classic rock bands and, You know? All of those British bands were awesome, and then you have the Doors who was like, hey. Like, we're here too, and we're putting an American spin on it, and I kinda like that. You know? It's not we're not taking away anything from the other countries Or cultures that are doing this style of music. We're just kinda creating this big pot, this big mixing pot, and and it's Sorta like this is how we do it, and that's how you do it, and it's all love, and it's all fun.

Robbie [00:09:46]:
That's it. Right? Yeah. You invent it. We repackage it and sell it back. That's that's Pretty much what happened. There you go. What what record or single record would you say really made you turn your head and be and sort of go, right. I I wanna be a musician.

Robbie [00:10:02]:
This is what I wanna do. Or was there a live performance you saw that made you wanna go, that's what I wanna do?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:10:12]:
I would probably have to go with, I think Alice in Chains, Them Bones. I mean, I was I was a big rock metal guy. And I listened to I think I kinda started out listening to hip hop, and I definitely I still love hip hop and rap music, but Alice in Chains was the 1st band that I listened to where I just, like, fell in love with everything about them. Like, Layne Staley, their singer. He was Basically, like, my hero in middle school and high school. And then when he passed away in the early 2000, I was just, like, crushed. And That was the 1st band where I was I don't know. I just fell in love with every because they they were a band that were not afraid to Kinda talk about their issues and darker things.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:11:03]:
And and that was appealing to me as a poet, as an artist, to To just not be afraid to to put that in front of other people. And I think that's very empowering. And, it was just it was very firing their heaviness, their rawness, their darkness, but then they also have these beautiful acoustic numbers like Nutshell and Brother. And, they were just a really multifaceted band, and I think that kinda opened my eyes to how you can be a musician and an artist And still be true to yourself. Even in the the public eye, you can still be genuine to yourself and and still give the people what they want.

Robbie [00:11:47]:
Their, I think their Unplugged album is the best one ever that came out of that series.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:11:52]:
Oh, yeah, man. I yeah. That Unplugged album is just I knew people who didn't even like Alice in Chains, but they would listen to that Unplugged album because it is. It's so it's so amazing, and it's so powerful. And, Yeah. I I agree with you. I mean, I think that is definitely the best MTV Unplugged album there is.

Robbie [00:12:12]:
For people that have not heard it, they need to find it on YouTube. So I think it the whole thing is on there somewhere. And, it's just got this this beautiful darkness over the whole thing, isn't it? It's really kind of not it's not depressing, is it? It's kind of just this weird sort of Gloom hangs over it in a in a wonderful way. You can't you're just drawn into it the minute it starts.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:12:33]:
Yeah. And, I mean, the set and The set piece is is so cool because it's it's just simple, but then they have these candles everywhere, and that totally lends itself to this atmosphere I've been in. You know, the sad thing is if you know any of anything of what was going on with the band behind the time, you can sort of understand that. I mean, you know, Layne Staley was dealing with this tremendous heroin addiction. And I think that was I think they might have done that, and then I think they did 2 shows opening for Kiss or something. But that was pretty much that was pretty much the end, and you can kinda feel that In that live performance

Robbie [00:13:13]:
We've I've had, chats with my mates when you argue about what's the best unplugged one, It's always the that was the one I argue. That's my go to because it's so good. It's just so good. It's it's I mean,

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:13:24]:
yeah, I think it I think it's very easy to for people to to go with the Nirvana one, but for me, it's definitely Alice in Chains.

Robbie [00:13:32]:
I'm glad we're kindred spirits on that. It's amazing.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:13:35]:
Yeah. Definitely. So when

Robbie [00:13:37]:
you've sort of decided to become a musician, which instrument did you go first? Were You a piano person, a guitar person, a drums person?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:13:43]:
Guitar. So here's the thing. I think I always knew That I wanted to be a vocalist, which is what I consider myself now, like a singer songwriter vocalist. But I was too I was too timid. I was too afraid. So I was like, well, I'll play guitar because guitar is cool too. And And definitely as a singer songwriter, you know, you wanna have that instrument that you can write material on. And so I'm really glad that I did get some guitar chops.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:14:14]:
I'm not, like, insane or anything, but I can make my way around the instrument. So I gravitated towards that. But, again, I think it's because I was at the time, you know, when I was in middle school and high school, I was just a little bit too timid to be a singer and to be out front, and I wasn't confident in my voice. And so I sort of Picked up guitar as a consolation prize, and then and then I started writing songs and doing my own material And working towards becoming a vocalist, and and now I I feel very happy. I feel very happy that I finally was able to just Take the leap and and be like, yeah. I'm a singer, and and that's what I like to do.

Robbie [00:14:58]:
That's amazing. Did you play in bands before you you became a solo artist or?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:15:03]:
Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. You know, high school cover bands, punk bands. College, I played in, like, metal and rock, and then I was even in, like, a rap group for a while with my brother and our friends from when we were little kids. And then I put out, like this was more solo, but I put out Kinda like an acoustic rock album back in, like, 2014. But, yeah, just kinda, like, all over the place. I was always really into the Rock band aesthetic and the middle aesthetic.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:15:40]:
And, I mean, even with choosing the name Valley Lights, it's like, I wanna I I like the idea of having a band name rather than, like, just slapping my name on it. I just think that it's It's another kinda piece of the puzzle you can put in there. And so that's why I chose, you know, a project name, which is Valley Lights.

Robbie [00:16:03]:
Between the band and Becoming Valley Lights, was there a huge gap? Did you stay with music, or did you sort of go away for a bit and then come back?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:16:10]:
No. I I did have a huge, huge gap. I put out that album, the acoustic album, in 2014, 20 Tri. Teen. And then I was in San Francisco. I was, like, pushing the album. I was playing open mics and stuff. And then I moved to LA, And my goal was to keep doing it.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:16:31]:
But for whatever reason, I just kind of fell into this depression and I basically stopped doing anything artistic for quite a long time, and It was really weird, man. Like, I COVID hit, And I ended up moving back to New Mexico for a while. And, yeah, I just I mean, to be honest, I was dating this chick, and we went through this, like, horrible breakup. And afterwards I I don't know, man. I've never felt something. It felt like a compulsion. It felt like a calling. Like, I started getting song titles in my heads In my head, lyrics in my head, and I had been listening to synthwave, not like crazy, but, It had sort of come into my spear, and I just, like, knew that I had to do this.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:17:35]:
And I knew that if I didn't Make this album. Like, I was gonna be denying myself, and I knew that I'd be, like, missing something for the rest of my life. And so After, you know, after going through this experience with my ex girlfriend, and, you know, hemming and hawing, I know. I can't do it. I don't know how to do it. Blah blah blah. I just I just started I just said fuck it. You know? And And as soon as I started down that road, it was just crazy, man.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:18:08]:
It felt like this faucet open, and It was it was just really healthy for me because after going through this several year period of not doing music To to feel the creativity inside of myself and to feel the music again was just really I don't know. It's a godsend, man. Like, putting out this album has just been the most rewarding thing that I think I've ever felt in my whole life. And It it really was very cathartic for me in a lot of ways. And so it was just a beautiful thing. And I'm really happy that I trusted myself enough To to do it and to just say, like, you can either keep living in this miserable life that you've been Existing in or you can, like, be true to yourself for once and just push through it. And and, Yeah. I think I think doing this album really saved me in a lot of ways, and and and it's I don't know.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:19:07]:
It's just a great It's just a great path, and I'm and I'm so happy that I found my way back to music.

Robbie [00:19:14]:
I mean, for people listening, it's called 2 Lane Highway, and it's a fantastic album. It really is. It's it's literally the sort of stuff I love. Like you're saying no. No. You're welcome. Like you're saying, it's a synthwave album. When you sort of thought of Synthwave, did you think it was something you could make? Or were you just sort of like, I like the style, but I don't know how to do it?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:19:32]:
So, Basically, it's I think it's kinda like 2 things. The first thing was I love the sound. I just I I feel like I had been kinda waiting for synthwave my whole life because what I love about it is that, You know, you have subgenres. You know? You have, like, dark synth and outrun, and I think that stuff's cool, but I kinda like the Poppier stuff because it doesn't take itself too seriously. You know? Like, saxophone and electric guitar solos and then the just, like, ridiculous Stints and the the drums. You know? All of that stuff. Because I was like, this is like me. Like, I don't I don't take myself too seriously, but it also allows Synthwave is also a great way to you you can express these very Through you can be true to yourself, but you can have fun with it.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:20:26]:
And so that's kinda what I did with the album was I'm I'm touching on a lot of very painful stuff That happened to myself, but I kinda was like, I wanna do this in a lighthearted way. Like, I don't wanna I don't wanna Be angry about this stuff. I don't wanna dwell on it, but I do need to address it. But then at the same time to kind of talk about the other part of your question, When I when I decided to do the album, I was very much like, no. Like, I am not this good of a producer. Like, absolutely not. And that was that was what hindered me to start because I was like, I don't know how to do this. I can write the lyrics, and I can write the vocals and stuff, but I'm not this good of a producer, and it's very stylized.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:21:13]:
And I I just kinda had this epiphany where I was just like, what if I Didn't have to. What if I didn't have to be responsible for producing it? And I ended up Finding a handful of producers, primarily 2. And, you know, we started working together. And, you know, they're Basically hired guns. Like, they're they're they were very cool and friendly, and, we talk and stuff. But but I was basically the mastermind behind it, but I was able to use their skill sets, and, like, I would send them reference tracks or I would send them kinda, like, demos or whatever of what I had done. And it it was like I said, man. Like, the faucet turned.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:21:59]:
Like, once I got those tracks back and how I wanted them, I just wrote. I just wrote, and I would drive around in my car and just sing and and think of lyrics. And for me, It was it was a great situation because I have always looked at bands like what's a good example? Like, there's this band, Fisher Spooner, from, like, the early 2000. And it was like 1 guy is the lyrics and the singer guy, and then there's, like, 1 guy is the instrumentalist musician guy. And that has always been my ideal writing situation where I have a writing partner, and they're really good at producing and the kinda nitty gritty Technical stuff. And then I can focus on what I like to do, which is the lyrics and the songwriting and the storytelling component. And And I haven't been able to find that person yet, but in a way, I was kinda able to find that person through the Internet. And and, yeah, it it was an amazing it was an amazing process, and I'm really glad I found these guys because Without them, I don't know what it would have been like.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:23:16]:
And and for me, personally, as an artist, Sometimes it's difficult to to give up control. Like, you want to be in control of everything. And I was just like, you know what? It's fine. I wanna do this. And, even if I'm not making the music, it doesn't diminish my artistic ability Any, at all. And once I started it doing it that way in this sort of, like, collaborative way, it just it just worked like magic.

Robbie [00:23:47]:
People say to me, like, why do I like sort of eighties sounds and synth wave sounds and all the other ones? And I I said, it it's it's its own universe of sound. There's nothing on Earth that sounds like those synthesizers and that That period. Because even rock bands just put distortion, but it's still a guitar. Whereas when you get, like, a synth band and you've got, like, The DX 7, the Juno sixes, all those classic keyboards that make those big symphonic sounds. You just can't get those sounds anywhere, and they do sound like they're from another planet.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:24:19]:
Completely. I mean, one of the things like I said, I fell in love with this soundscape of of Synthwave because when I listen to it, I feel like I'm in another dimension. There's just something about the sounds that that are used, the combination of the synthesizers and and everything like that. That's what I love about it. Like, I it's not like Other music. Right? Like, I feel like I'm somewhere else when I listen to it, and that's what I think is so magical about it. It just to me, I don't think I've listened to another style of music that has, affected me in the same way where I feel like I'm in An another dimension or a movie or a or another place and time. Like, it has all of these very, like, wistful, magical components to

Robbie [00:25:09]:
It's wonderful, isn't it? When you were, compiling your album together, did you have all the songs ready, or did you have to write for the album?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:25:18]:
I had several originally, I was gonna do a 10 song album, because my birthday is October 13th. So I was like, it's either gonna be 10 or it's gonna be 13. And I had I had many of the ideas Ready to go, but then it was this process of as I'm recording, I'm writing new songs. And, Like, Headlights Headlights and Two Lane Highway were the first 2 songs I wrote and recorded. And then I did the cover of dreams. And then all this time, I have these other ideas floating around. And so As I'm sort of nailing 1 song, I'm getting into another one. So after that, it was like chasing ghosts.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:26:04]:
And then the last 2 song or the last 2 songs of the 1st batch I wrote were California And forever and always. And then I hit 10, and I was just like, fuck it. Let's keep going. Like, I'm feeling it. I'm feeling the spirit, and 13 is my lucky numbers. So, the last 3 were holding on, Under the Gun, and, what's the last one? I can't remember. But I did have this funny moment, though, man, because I wrote I wrote the first 10, and then I got one of the instrumentals back, and I think it was holding on. And, you know, like, as an artist, you kinda subject yourself to all of this mental acrobatic stuff.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:26:59]:
And so I got the instrumental, and I was just like, maybe that's it. Maybe that's all I got. I can't run you know? And I was just, like, You know, just, like, intimidating myself. And then, of course, after I sat down and just worked with it for a while, like, I it Came out, and I got something, but it's just so funny. Like, I just I was like, why am I doing this to myself? But, yeah, it was it was a great process, and and I was I was very happy with with all the songs that came out of it.

Robbie [00:27:34]:
It's it's interesting that you talk about, Dreams in There, by Fleetwood Mac originally. Like, when you get a cover of a song, what I love about what what you did with it is you did definitely make it your own. And sometimes you get covers and they just copy it note for note. But you've done a synth phrase version, which is fantastic. What drew you to that song?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:27:54]:
Dreams has always been one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs. I mean, that whole Rumors album is just, like, insane. It's all classic. But Dreams, I just kinda always loved the sort of melancholy sort of Longing quality to it. And, so on top of that, you know, I told you about this ex Girlfriend of mine, we we used to sing that in karaoke together, and it was just kinda, like, perfect because it's basically, like, A breakup song. You know? Stevie Nicks wrote dreams, and then Lindsey Buckingham wrote go your own way when they were going through all their drama. And I just thought it would be, you know, really fitting for me, to do that as as kind of a way of, like, letting go and and to To just put my own spin on it and yeah. I was I I I really like doing covers.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:28:47]:
To me, a cover makes sense if you If you bend it a little bit, like, there are definitely some synthwave artists, and they cover, like, eighties Songs. And for me, that doesn't make sense because it's sorta like we already exist in that realm sonically a bit. So so I it's not something I would do personally, and I'm not to say it wouldn't be it couldn't be done well, but I was like, Why not do something like dreams, which is kinda like guitar you know, it's your classic drums, bass, guitar situation and and do been a little bit weirder with it.

Robbie [00:29:24]:
I love it. I think if Fleetwood Mac had done it in the eighties, they would have done it how you did it. Yeah. I think it I think it I think it would have been exactly how you did it. It's a fantastic cover. We'll we'll put a link to that in the description. What I love as well is You've got little cheeky bits on your album as well. Like chasing ghosts, you've got the bit of Batman in there as well.

Robbie [00:29:41]:
And I Yeah. Yeah. As soon as I mean, that's one News. Hi, I'm Robbie. It's Chat and Track. One of my favorite films of Woodside. But as soon

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:29:48]:
as I heard it, I was, I like that. Yeah. I had just, I had just ran I mean, I love that movie. Jack Nicholson is I mean, Michael Keaton is great too, but, yeah, I had just watched that movie, And I always love that. You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight? And so when I was writing Chasing Ghosts, I I just I was I I was thinking of that pale moon light. You know? And so I have the line in there. I'll drive all night to the pale moon to the pale moon light. And then I was like, Man, I should just throw that sample in there.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:30:21]:
That's just too good to pass, though.

Robbie [00:30:24]:
Did you have to clear that with anybody, or were they fine with it?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:30:28]:
We I believe we did have to clear it. Stu at Outland took care of that. Thank you, Stu. Because, Yeah. There's there are 2 samples on the album, and then there was 1 sample we weren't able to clear. But, yeah, those 2 because they're they're short enough, and so I think that kinda simplifies things a bit. But, yeah, we did have to clear those.

Robbie [00:30:54]:
What I love about your album is it is it's it's symphonies, but it moves as it goes along. Like, in Valley Romance, you've got real sort of eighties funk element to it. And it's got that sort of early cameo sort of sound. Did you wanna change the album as it was going? Was you aware that it could get too simp heavy and you need to funk it up a little bit? Or was it

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:31:11]:
I so for me, eighties funk in particular, man, like the Gap band, I've always loved that stuff and then sorta, like, the more modern iteration kinda, like, Daft Punk type stuff. But no. I When I was writing the album, I I wanted it to be rooted in synth wave, but I was not concerned with Staying There. So there are you know, Valley Romance is a great example because it is it has that funk component. And I I basically had written most the album, and I was like, you know, there is a melancholic tinge to a lot of the songs. And I was like, I just want something that's, like, Danceable and fun, and it's just gonna be, like, you know, just, like, out out on the boulevard having a good time. And I was like, I need something funky. And so, that's how Valley Romance came along.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:32:05]:
And then, you know, there's other Stuff like California and Two Lane Highway are some of my favorites because as a rock guy, they have that driving guitar components And, you know, there are electric guitar solos 3 throughout the album. And then, yeah, I consider there to be More traditional synthwave, like headlights, I think. And then I think there's kinda, like, More just, like, pop stuff. Like, Bond, Fire, I consider to be kinda, like, pop ballade esque. And, Yeah. I I mean, that's what I like about the album. I think it has a lot of variety, but as a whole, it is still very cohesive. And I think that it does live in that World of synthwave, but it also pushes the boundaries a little bit.

Robbie [00:32:54]:
It's great. I love, Forever and Always as well. To me, that's the love song on the album. That's the one that was that that's your ballad on there. When you was writing that one, was you sort of yeah. Again, was it sort of an idea just to write a ballad on there? Was you thinking about something in particular that you wanted to write about.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:33:12]:
I had reached this point, and that that was that that To me, Forever and Always is the most significant song on the album. I think, you know, my favorites are probably Headlights and and Tulane Highway because they were the first ones I rode and sort of were the genesis of the project. But for me, Forever and Always is is the most significant because I wasn't thinking about I need I want or need to write a ballad. It it happened very naturally because that song to me was you know, whether it's a lover or a Friend or anybody, people come into our lives, and I basically say, you know, you'll be with me forever and always, and I'll be with you forever and always. And it's this idea of people come into our lives, and we may may not even realize it at the time, but they sort of touch us And, you know, butterfly effect. Right? Like, had this experience not happened, I could be in a totally different place. And, as painful as this situation I went through with my ex girlfriend was, like, I reached a point where I was like, I am ultimately thankful and grateful for this experience because It returned me to music. And music, it has always been a great Powerful force in my life, and I lost it.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:34:43]:
And so even through all the pain and stuff, I'm just like, thank you. Like, thank you for touching my life because, you know, I'm in a place now where I'm happier than I had been in a long time because I'm I'm doing what I wanna do again. And so that's the idea of forever and always. It's like, hey. Like, whatever happens, Like, you're always here in my heart, and you you changed my life for the better through Through tremendous pain, like, I came out on the other side where I wanna be, and and I'm just thankful for that. Yeah. Again, it goes back to Rumors by Fleetwood Mac. It's the same same thing, isn't it? Yeah.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:35:25]:
All that all that chaos and heartbreak brings the world's greatest helper. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it wasn't easy. But once I reached a point where I was able to kind of Channel the artistic energy into catharsis and and creation. It just it felt so good.

Robbie [00:35:48]:
It is and it's a wonderful album. If you could collaborate with someone from the eighties, like, say, you could just pick anyone to collaborate with Using your your style of music with them singing vocals, who would you pick? Is there anyone you've ever sort of mentally said, oh, if I can ever get that person, I'll have them?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:36:05]:
Let me think about that for a second. I mean, there's so many. I wanna say I don't know. Like, I love I love new order and the cure, but, like, as far as vocalists, I'm kinda like, I I I think knee jerk reaction, I wanna Say Sebastian Bach from Skid Row because, like

Robbie [00:36:34]:
Yeah.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:36:34]:
I don't know, man. Have you heard 18 in life? Like Yeah. Like, at you know, I've seen him perform now, and he still is he still got his chops, but, like, young young Sebastian Bach, like, He just nailed those high notes, and and, you know, he had some grit on his voice. And, yeah, just just awesome. And, Again, like, I love I love rock and metal and and and definitely the eighties hair metal scene has a special place in my heart. So, Yeah. I think I'd probably go with Sebastian Bach.

Robbie [00:37:08]:
That's a great choice. You know what? I should have opened it up and said anyone, and then you could have had Jim Morrison, to be fair. I should've done that.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:37:15]:
Yeah. Morrison. That would be sick. Trying to think.

Robbie [00:37:21]:
Janis Joplin would have been good.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:37:23]:
Yep. Yeah. She's great. I don't know, man. Like, Danzig. Yep.

Robbie [00:37:28]:
What song? Rock now. I have a

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:37:32]:
hard time. Imagine Danzig getting on a synthwave track.

Robbie [00:37:37]:
So, what's next for yourself? Are you working on your next album? Are you touring?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:37:42]:
No touring at the moment. I have been I've been writing the 2nd album, so that's coming along. And, again, I wanna start doing some live shows. I'm like I said, I did some networking with the LA people, And, there's a group of guys who have a promotion company called Synth Cartel, and they kinda shut down during COVID, obviously, But they wanna start doing more shows, so I'm talking to them. And yeah. I don't know. That's it. I wanna I wanna just I wanna start doing live stuff.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:38:19]:
I wanna start I I need to polish up a few tracks so I can drop some singles coming up. Speaking of dreams, we do have the music video for that shot, and I'm hoping for a, like, in early November release for that video, and that's gonna be sick. I work with some really cool people on that. Really creative couple. It's a husband and wife couple, and they're both filmmakers, directors. And, Yeah. We shot it all on camcorders and, like, VHS tapes. So it's like Awesome.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:38:53]:
It's not in, it's not in, like, 40 k or whatever. It's It's very dope. There's a there's a couple teasers on my Instagram right now, but I'm I'm really excited to see how that turns out. And, yeah, outside of that, it's just it's really just keeping the ball moving whether I'm writing, recording, Rehearsing. I just I just wanna make sure that now that the the project is out, I don't lose sight of of the future because it was crazy, man. Two lane highway took up, like, A year and a half of my life, and it was just writing, recording. And I didn't have the record label or or anything. And then I I started my social media, and it is just kinda crazy that, you know, the CDs are going out now.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:39:46]:
You know? I'm here at my dad's house right now, and he just got his copy of 2 Lane Highway. And it's it's just so trippy, man, because, like, I, you know, I I Thought of that cover image. I had a a really cool guy, named Rakid Lop, do the artwork, but it's just kinda weird to be like, yeah. It was in here, and and now it's right here in my hand. And, it's very cool, but at the same time, it's like, okay. Like, I'm gonna keep pushing it, but that chapter is kinda closed in a lot of ways. And now it's like, what's next? What are we doing next? And and staying motivated to, to just keep doing everything and and keep pushing.

Robbie [00:40:28]:
Is your at the minute, I know you're in the writing phase here. Is your 2nd album a different style? Is it the same sort of thing? Do you have you noticed you're writing differently?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:40:37]:
I I have noticed a difference. I think the main I think that it's kind of, like, Straying even further from traditional synthwave, which which I think is fine, but it it's certainly like, There is a question that pops up into my head. It's like, you know, you can't alienate your fan base. And but at the same time, I'm like, you know, like, I can't just be like, okay. No. No. This doesn't sound synth wavy enough, so, like, let's Do that. I'm just I'm I'm trying not to think about it too much, and I'm just trying to to stay inspired and Just kinda, like, trust the process.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:41:20]:
But so far, the songs that I've been writing and kinda working with, I feel like are A little less traditional synthwave, but I I think that in in the end, it is gonna come out as a cohesive project just like 2 lane highway did. I mean, My brother, when he heard Valley Romance for the first time, he was like, you know, just hear me out here. Maybe it's Too funky? And I was like, no. No. It's fine. It it fits perfectly. And and then he just got the album and listened to it in its entirety. And he was like, yeah.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:41:53]:
I thought Valley Romance wasn't gonna fit, but, you know, when you reach it, you know, it's track 10 or whatever on the album. Like, It works. It works great. And I'm like, thank you, man. I appreciate that. Like, that's that's how I felt the whole time.

Robbie [00:42:07]:
I'm definitely looking forward to the next album. If people wanna find out about you, where's the best place for them to go?

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:42:13]:
I'm I'm everywhere on social media, but I'm most active on Instagram. That's that's where I would recommend people get in touch with me. Obviously, Follow on Spotify or whatever music service you're listening on, Apple Music. And then, yeah, Bandcamp. We did an initial pressing of 50 CDs and 50 tapes and, we've sold about Half the units of those already, which is awesome. But if you wanna get a CD or tape, hop on to Bandcamp and also that really supports Me as an artist and Outland Recordings as well because Bandcamp is just great at getting money to artists and the people who work on it. But, yeah, Instagram, if you if you actually wanna get in touch with me, I recommend Instagram and then support through Spotify, Bandcamp, and, and all the other great places to listen to music.

Robbie [00:43:09]:
Hopefully, you'll come and tour in England. It's been an absolute pleasure. Thanks for chatting with me today. It's been brilliant.

Kai (Valley Lights) [00:43:14]:
Yeah. Robbie, no. Thank you, man. It's been a pleasure to be here and, happy to be back anytime and and support your work, man. It's it's been really great. Thank you.