NYC-based act Valipala provide a look at their forthcoming EP, Mango City (out 10/20), with the excellent track “Love of My Life”. Immediately gripping, with entrancing vocals reminiscent of Janelle Monae, the track pursues soulful orchestral-laden arrangements, akin to the production of Matthew Herbert. It touts an interesting hook transition around the one-minute mark to the “whenever I need ya” bit, though without being jarring.
The hook-y “love of my life” central hook is accessible enough to appeal to a more general crowd as well, though also expressing jazz-laden sophistication and idiosyncrasies, not too distant from the approach of Kate Bush. An instrumental bridge at around 02:40 plays nicely, especially alongside the “whenever I need you” gradual percussive push, culminating in the brass-y explosion at 03:40 — my favorite section.
Look for another EP track, “Mongolian Afternoon”, to release on September 22nd, ahead of Mango City‘s October 20th release date.
