Review: In the Valley Below “Hymnal”

by Teffer Adjemian

Nostalgia. The word combines sweetness, pain, and a sense of homecoming. It is also the best way to describe Hymnal,  the debut EP from In the Valley Below, a duo out of Los Angeles’ Echo Park.  With its lush sound, and deep-threaded sense of melancholy, Hymnal combines the earthy and ethereal for a sound that is poignant, evocative, and drop-dead gorgeous.

While “Hymnal,” the first track, is the EP’s lyrical masterpiece, “Last Soul” shows just how much this duo can do with music. “Last Soul” starts off with a bubbly little riff, but over the course of the track, layers and layers of musical texture emerge, transforming the sound into an anxious amalgamation of well-meshed harmony and rhythm.

Under the eerie wailing vocals, a dense beat pushes the track towards its end.  This same pulse drives the whole EP, balancing the retrospective yearning of the lyrics (“I wish I’d found you sooner, I could have loved you longer,” mourns “Hymnal”).  These songs look back while tearing forwards, eulogizing what is past and barreling into what comes next.

As a debut, Hymnal gives a promising taste of what this group is capable of. Though they could use a little more rhythmic variety  –  there’s a fine line between meditative and dragging –  the sound melds well, and the atmosphere is lovely. More good things will surely come from In the Valley Below.