Ayleen Valentine, Berklee School of Music's most promising recent drop-out, has released her first-born EP onto streaming services. Lend your ears to each of the 7 tracks, fully written and produced by one of LA's most underrated female artists.
It's a new day. And it's time we talk about Ayleen Valentine. On June 17th, the Miami-native released her debut EP "tonight i don't exist", which is comprised of seven beautifully crafted tracks, all of which were produced and written by Valentine. Raw, rough, and sweet, the songs are thoughtful amalgamations of alternative indie vibes, garage style drums, nods to electronic music, and Ayleen's signature processed, dreamy vocals, which managed to get past my ultra-emotionally-unavailable exterior and into my gushy little heart.
The 20-year old recently left behind her full-ride at Berklee School of Music to pursue her career in Los Angeles, her way. And we're happy she did, because the arrival of this EP proves Ayleen Valentine is an artistic force of nature. The first track, also one of my favorites on the project, titled "heaven", opens with tender arpeggiated piano chords and some light drums. Eileen's wonderful airy & introspective vocal comes in, and with a slight nod to hyper pop in the production, this song is a wonderful example of how different genres of music, when kept in the right persons' head, can be beautifully mixed to create something entirely new and great.
Another track that I find myself repeatedly coming back to is "why do i do that" which features fellow Miami local Chaos Canine. The track begins with Ayleen blaming herself for getting hurt in a relationship, set to some acoustic guitars. It then escalates quickly into a densely packed production section for the chorus, consisting of high-energy garage drums, modern electronic elements, and Valentine's well-loved vocals. Chaos Canine lends his smooth vocal to help paint a picture of two confused lovers, both feeling some level of guilt for their situation not working out. His vocal takes on a more electronic-emo tone, which adds to the pile of textures and emotion found in this awesome song.
Although Ayleen Valentine has chosen to go the independent route rather than partner with major labels (it's clear from her work that she doesn't really need them), she has some key players in her team still. "tonight i don't exist" was mixed by Devin Corey, who has credits under the likes of Ella Mai and Bebe Rexha, and was mastered by grammy-winner John Greenham, who works with Billie Eilish and FINNEAS. With their help, Ayleen's musical and producing abilities are amplified to levels in which the listener can fully appreciate them. Make sure to listen to all the of tracks in this project, because if this is just the beginning for Ayleen Valentine, we can't wait to see what's next.
06/20/22
Ayleen Valentine
Pookie Los Angeles
Comentarios