LA duo Valley Boy shares smoky psych-pop single “Cigarette”

Los Angeles indie duo Valley Boy is the creative alliance of childhood friends James Alan Ghaleb and Ian Meltzer. The outfit has arrived with their sophomore single “Cigarette,” an enthralling woozy-pop number occupied by groovy beats and hazy vibes.

“Cigarette” is the follow-up to their single "Black Cat," a downtempo, R&B-flavoured debut released back in September. Their new single moves down another aural lane by packing forceful guitars, twisty synths, and spongy bass lines, while its confessional lyrics enhance “Cigarette” into a different altitude. Valley Boy bears the responsibility of managing the song’s defiant narrative with its exhilarated production, which in result places it in a unique and absorbing soundscape.

The accompanying music video explores the effects of the titular substance with hallucinogenic infused animation, where what begins as a causal trip to the liquor store for a pack of smokes quickly turns into a nightmarish excursion as the guys make their way through their childhood vices and fears.

Ghaleb says,"My home life was pretty sad (my dad and mom spent most of my teen years apart or in flux and my older brother was kicked out of the house for being a drug dealer and I didn’t have much contact with him), but after Ian and I met in middle school P.E. he quickly became my extended family and we were basically together every day."

Meltzer adds on, "The word 'cigarette' in the song is actually more of a symbol for dangerous behavior than it is a literal reference to smoking the sticks that killed my favorite Aunt. James was always silently or not so silently judging me and our friend group for doing daring and stupid things like jumping into trashcans and drinking his dead grandpa’s liquor. I always encouraged James to join me in what I thought was perfectly age-appropriate behavior, telling him such iconic phrases as, 'come on dude' or, 'shut up' or, 'we’re all gonna die someday'---wink wink. The most adventurous thing James would do as a kid was go on a hike."