If there was only one word to describe Los Angeles indie-pop band, Transviolet, it would most definitely be tenacious. After being snubbed by their major label – while dealing with all the unnecessary bullshit that may bring – the band came back stronger and better than ever with new EP, Valley, out today!
From the DGAF attitude of “Bad Intentions” to the poignant “Undo” to the reemerging fan favorite “Close,” fans are given a deeper look into the minds of this fabulous foursome in the span of 25 minutes. If there’s one thing listeners will learn from diving into Valley, it’s that Transviolet have paid their dues and are here to stay.
We asked frontwoman and all-around badass Sarah McTaggart to give us a deeper look into Valley in this exclusive track-by-track commentary! Enjoy and don’t forget to download the EP now here.
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“Close”
“Close” was written in 2014, in a house in the valley in Tarzana. Mike, Jon ,and Judah were all living there – Judah was sleeping on a mattress in the living room next to Jon’s drum kit. I’d smoke weed in the kitchen and write lyrics and vocal melodies while Mike, Jon and Judah worked on the track, music blaring out of the studio (which was this tiny office/den next to the kitchen). The four of us couldn’t even fit in there at the same time. Mike had written this really infectious synth lead, and it was one of those songs where the melody and lyric just flowed out of me, and seemed really obvious and easy. It was one of the first songs the four of us wrote together. I’ve always thought it was really cool. I’m glad we finally get to release it.
“Undo”
We were still signed to Epic Records, and it was obvious they were days from dropping us. I was watching everything I’d worked for slowly unravel. My whole world felt like it was crashing down. Our label was ignoring us, my family was going through hard times, I was broke, and couldn’t remember why I was even doing this anymore. I love pop music, but it’s weird to try and write a pop banger when you’re depressed. We were being stuck in session after session just told to “write a hit.” Music had always been a lifeline for me, and suddenly it felt like a desolate place that I couldn’t survive in. So, when I was alone, in my living room, I sat down at the piano, and went back to just writing how I felt. I brought what I had to friend/producer Ben Greenspan and the guys, and the result was something really special. “Undo” was an open letter to anyone who was trying to pick me apart.
“Bad Intentions”
We wrote this one at Windmark studio in Santa Monica. Somehow, we ended up in the room with Nat Motte from 3OH!3, which was incredible, and hilarious. Nat had us crying laughing the whole time. He is an insanely talented producer. I’d been listening to a lot of Bee Gees, Blondie, and David Bowie, and I wanted to try and write a dance-y disco type song. I’m not sure that’s really how it turned out, but that’s what I had in mind while writing the vocal melody. I liked the idea of writing this party song, disavowing any of the caution girls are supposed to carry around on a night out.
“Small Victory”
We had a session with Dan and Leah of Dreamlab, who are incredible songwriters, and producer Rob Ellsmore – who is one of the most prolific producers I’ve ever met. The seven of us were cozied up in Dan and Leah’s home studio in Studio City. The whole room smelled like strawberry cupcakes because Rob, Leah and Dan were blowing these billowing vape clouds. I remember feeling really sad that day – like sad for no reason sad, and everyone was having this really great time. Dan and Leah are these warm, boisterous Aussies who feel like your best friends from the minute you meet them. It felt really good to be around that energy. We were right in the middle of all that stuff with our label, and I came in with the title/concept “Small Victory”- like just needing one thing to go right. Mike laid down that funky bass line to get it started, and then Leah, Dan and I wrote the vocals/lyrics, while Mike, Jon, Judah and Rob worked on the track. We finished most of it by the end of the day. I love how it turned out.
“Other Girl”
Mike sent us this really cool track he’d been working on. I was in right away. I knew it was something really special. I was in my apartment in Woodland Hills, headphones on, writing the lyrics/vocal melody, singing into the voice notes on my phone. He’d already had that really cool lead synth line running through the intro and choruses. I kept trying to write another melody over it, but nothing was working over that section. Eventually I decided I should just follow the same melody that the synth was doing. The track was upbeat, but sounded kind of forlorn and longing to me, so I wrote about that feeling of being in the grey area of a relationship, and then seeing that person you have feelings for with someone else.
“Long Shot”
We had a show at the Peppermint Club in West Hollywood, and this band named Sleeping Lion was opening for us. Nate, the lead singer/keyboardist and I were talking, and he told me “Girls Your Age” was the reason they started writing pop music. He had heard it on his Discover Weekly in his dorm room at Berkeley in Boston. We decided we wanted to write together, and a few weeks later, lamenting about relationships, and sacrifices made to chase these dreams of ours, we wrote “Long Shot” in his bedroom studio in El Segundo.
“Under”
It was late January 2018. My dad had just suffered 3 major strokes over the holidays, leaving him unable to walk or speak. My dad is the reason I got into music. He’s a poet and songwriter, and I learned to sing by mimicking him. He’s an incredible singer, and these strokes had taken that away from him. Sitting at the hospital with him, I could tell he was so frustrated, so demoralized. He’s such such an optimistic, resilient person, and to see him losing hope like that, really broke my heart. I can’t really explain why, but that experience brought up a lot of past trauma for me. I guess seeing my father, my protector, downtrodden like that, opened up old wounds. In that moment, all I wanted to be was strong for him. I was desperately trying to shove my demons into any compartment I could find. I stayed with him for two weeks, making sure he was going to be okay. Two weeks after I got back to LA, the guys and I got into studio with Octavion, and production duo Tøn, and the seven of us wrote “Under.” Sometimes I write a song about how I feel/how things are, and other times I write about who I want/need to be. In that moment, in reality, everything was falling apart. I felt broken, and hopeless, but I knew I had to be a warrior for my dad.
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