There are a couple of things you should know about ‘Goodbye to the Valley Low’, the recently-completed 12-track project by nostalgia-steeped Australian indie-folk artist Hazlett.
First, the music was recorded in a remote cabin in Sweden. We know musicians have a fondness for these kinds of claims, sometimes in a subtle attempt to outdo each other in matters of remoteness or obscurity. But here, it matters.
Second, despite appearances, this is not an “album” (and that’s the last time I’ll use the word). The first part of the project was published in the form of the ‘Side A’ EP in late 2023. With the six new songs making up ‘Side B’ now released, too, the work has become whole. The only way to own this music as a complete record is on vinyl; if you go digital, you’ll find the project stubbornly separated into its two halves.
Hazlett has explained that he never intended it to be like this. The plan was to move on once the first six tracks were out in the world – but it wasn’t to be. Instead, Hazlett found himself drawn back and compelled to finish the overall arc. This reflects the artist’s own story: Hazlett had quit music several times (in his native Australia he moved from singing to pub work and back again, before taking up a career in advertising) before being persuaded to move to Sweden in 2019, where he met and immediately clicked with collaborator Freddy Alexander.
With that knowledge, the full 12 tracks of ‘Goodbye to the Valley Low’ fall into place. On Side A, we hear Hazlett reaching out tentatively from that remote Scandinavian base; the half dozen songs are exploratory, reflective and, generally, hushed. ‘Blame the Moon’ is ethereal, floating and, indeed, lunar in its mysteries. With soft guitar hazily strummed and vocals which barely raise their head, this is the initial gentle excursion. ‘Missionary’ seems to continue in the same vein, but there’s a new ingredient as Hazlett’s vocal jumps up. It’s a spark of something more, before the song settles into something quite lovely, broad and flowing, with an unorthodox but compelling “chorus” without words.
‘Mama’s Boy’ takes the energy another step further, rising from similarly hazed beginnings to a more driven, structured sound and some country instrumentation. But it lulls away again at the end, returning to a heartfelt softness, which is picked up and, again, given a boost in ‘Slow Running’. We hear the sparkle of a piano as well as the lament of a fiddle, as Hazlett reflects, “When’s this ghost coming? Is he slow running? Out of places to hide?” With the repetition of the “mama’s boy” lyrics from the preceding track, the thread of the EP is kept nicely unbroken. ‘Cemetery’ is not as dark as expected – a song of hopeful, gentle nostalgia – but ends in a dissolving crackle which reminds us that Hazlett is singing from a deeply introspective place. The sense of loneliness, yet peace, which has pervaded the EP in variously-sized hints comes through most strongly as Side A ends with ‘Stolen Seasons’. This unavoidable atmosphere could be the influence of that off-grid cabin working its way through Hazlett’s creative process and into the recordings. When a creator goes so deep, the surroundings are bound to exert an influence.
The coherence of the entire ‘Goodbye to the Valley Low’ project is clear to hear as Hazlett picks up Side B with ‘Bones Shake’, a strident, heartfelt and candid song which lets us further into the creator’s thought process. He recounts experiences and confesses inlines such as “Run from okay … sick of saying I’m lonely”.
Other tracks see Hazlett wrestling with emotions, with more frequent reference to “ghosts” and returning as his realisations play out. ‘The First Train Home’ and ‘Do You Haunt Me’ are a natural pair of songs, challenging but at the same time soothing on the ear, and also displaying a rising energy; they’re interspersed with the softer but equally expansive ‘Shiver’, creating the core of the EP. This allows a gentle but firm path to be followed to the natural conclusion of the project.
‘I’m Not Ready To Go’ is a poignant outpouring of personal and creative frustration: Hazlett says he’s “got too much to see.” Yet, at this point, there’s also a sense of coming to terms. The work has been long, hard and unexpected but he has allowed things to run their natural course. ‘Old Salt’ is the culmination, Hazlett leaning back into sweeping harmonies and blanketing swathes of hazy guitars, right up to the soft but definite end.
Hazlett evidently felt compelled to create Side B as a response to some of the unanswered questions he’d raised in the first part of his project. There will be more to explore, no doubt, but ‘Goodbye to the Valley Low’ represents a singular accomplishment and demonstrates that, sometimes, the whole can only be seen over time and with a sense of surrender.
7/10
Words: Phil Taylor
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