Vallis Alps today enthusiastically announce their debut album, Cleave, due for release on August 24 via The Orchard (Jungle Giants, Jorja Smith, Skepta). With the news comes the duo’s latest single ‘Higher Than This‘ complete with a music video by Tanmay Chowdhary (Young The Giant). LISTEN + WATCH HERE + PRE-ORDER CLEAVE LP HERE.

In its most distilled form, Cleave reflects upon the acts of cleaving throughout Parisa Tossif and David Ansari’s individual journeys. A defining statement of evolution, the album dissects the desperation of life at its most turbulent, where severance gives way to strength. Depicting the divides of life in all its distinct and emotional stages from family to vocation, migration, and just plain living, Cleave highlights the two halves of Vallis Alps, capable of flourishing alongside one another no matter how different they may be at their core. A reflection of their friendship and siblinghood, closer than ever before.

Of the moment, Vallis Alps share “Our album emerges from a process that was long, at times toilsome and beautifully vulnerable. These songs were a tool for us to go deeper into the challenges in our friendship, big life changes, relationships with those around us and cycles of thought we had never really explored. Authenticity was our guide during the writing process. We live in a world crowded by inauthenticity, and our constant pivot for writing songs was whether the themes, instrumentation, and process were honouring the spirit of what we wanted to contribute to the world. The album has drawn us closer to who we are. It represents an evolution for us on a personal and sonic level, learning to deal with a new level of complexity as we learnt about detachment outsourcing, and sticking to our strengths – far from the initial years of Vallis where we tried to do everything ourselves.”

Joining their first stream of new music in five years, the anthemic ‘Set It Off, Set It Right’ and recent release ‘On The Eve Of The Rush, described as “breathy, airy and uplifting” by RUSSH Magazine, “pulsing electro-house” by Music Feeds, and as “bigger than anything the duo has ever done in the past and it really suits” by The Music; Cleave‘s third single ‘Higher Than This‘ arrives as an epic electro-come-synth pop relay of altruism, kismet, and karma. Particularly inspired by Parissa’s experiences with sexism, ‘Higher Than This‘ poses the prospect of a legacy spent belittling others juxtaposed against life beyond the glass ceiling. Transforming a beat as stark and fundamentally simple, into exotic percussion as those produced by Chris Martin, Vallis Alps deliver an otherworldly atmosphere on ‘Higher Than This‘, fronted by considerate soaring vocals like London Grammar.

WATCH: Higher Than This (Official Music Video)

With the release, Vallis Alps return to their visual collaboration with Tanmay Chowdhary who reveals “In interpreting ‘Higher than this’, my thoughts revolved around using a structure that represents the fragility of the male ego and the abandoned power plant on the edge of the shoreline mirrored it perfectly. We built the narrative around these men who guard a peculiar diamond in this towering plant. Parissa plays the role of a spirit that infiltrates this plant. The eventual demise of the men came in the form of their own self-reflections. The film is a continuation of a language that explores the emotional journey of the album.”

Of ‘Higher Than This‘ impetus, Parissa explains, “I am constantly reflecting on my own experiences as a woman in a world that is unequal. I think of the beauty, strength, generosity, and advancement of women, and people in general, who continually choose to move forward despite the hurdles, and the richness of their lives, their friendships, and their inner worlds. They know what’s ‘higher’. When writing the song, I was talking to Vetta Borne who co-wrote a lot of the lyrics with me about how held back society is because we continue to fail to give women equal opportunities than men, and show them the respect and honour they deserve. Until then, we will never know our true potential and what we can achieve in every arena.”

Experience ‘Higher Than This‘ and more new music from Vallis Alps live this March in the group’s first shows since 2017. Taking to The Night Cat and Oxford Art Factory, the two boast a live show repertoire praised for their ability to “bundle intimacy and energy” that “make simplicity feel epic”; “Tosif airily and delicately weaving through her vocals and Ansari confidently handling the complex musical production”; Vallis Alps are “truly in touch with what contemporary audiences want to hear.” 

‘Higher Than This‘ is out now, buy/stream it here.

VALLIS ALPS – CLEAVE LP 
OUT AUGUST 24, 2023
PRE-ORDER CLEAVE LP HERE.

TRACKLIST
1. Set It Off, Set It Right
2. On The Eve Of The Rush
3. Turn It Around
4. Ephemera
5. For Once
6. Start Again
7. I’m On My Way
8. Everything All You See
9. Higher Than This
10. You & I
11. All The Worlds
12. On Highways (aug 4)

TOUR DATES
Thu 30 Mar -The Night Cat – Naarm / Melbourne VIC (SOLD OUT) [JOIN THE WAITLIST]
Fri 31 Mar – Oxford Art Factory – Eora / Sydney NSW (SOLD OUT) [JOIN THE WAITLIST]