Matty Groves Unveils ‘Valley of Tears’ Ahead of ‘The Magical Speckled Band’
From the heart of Melbourne/Naarm comes Matty Groves, a songwriter whose music invites us into a world built from intricate detail and a deep love of storytelling.
Over the past year he has become known for crafting songs with rich textures, earthy instrumentation, and an atmosphere that draws you in completely. With his third album ‘The Magical Speckled Band’ set for release on September 1st via his own Red Earth Records, Groves is unveiling his most ambitious collection to date.
The lead single, ‘Valley of Tears,’ arrives August 13th and serves as a gentle yet striking introduction to the record.
Groves’ creative output over the past year has been relentless. Following his acclaimed debut ‘Aurelia’ and its follow-up ‘Aurelia and The Midnight Sun,’ he returns with an album that blends collaborative energy with intimate solo performances. In ‘The Magical Speckled Band,’ the title is not only poetic but also literal… several tracks feature contributions from close friends whose flutes, banjos, organs, and bass lines weave into Groves’ own instrumentation. The result is a work that shifts between the joyful and the contemplative, the expansive and the stripped-back.
‘Valley of Tears’ carries a deep connection to Groves’ influences. Originally written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, and famously reimagined by Buddy Holly, the song has lived many lives. Groves’ interpretation draws on the rootsier end of the tradition, layering guitar, banjo, double bass, and harmonica into a sound that feels swampy, warm, and evocative of a lost folk recording from the 1960s. Its lo-fi intimacy gives it the quality of a treasured relic found in a dusty attic.
For Groves, the song is more than a cover; it is a portal. He describes the imagery it conjures as a “mythical valley, untouched and eternal… a place of solace, something like a personal Garden of Eden.” That vision runs through the arrangement, which unfolds with unhurried grace, allowing the listener to wander in and linger.
Recorded largely in his Thornbury home studio, Groves handled engineering and mixing duties himself, with additional contributions recorded at Natural Habitat Studios. This hands-on approach has given the album a consistent sense of place and personality. Even in its most lavishly arranged moments, the music retains the closeness of a performance happening in the next room.
With ‘The Magical Speckled Band,’ Matty Groves delivers a record that celebrates imagination, friendship, and the quiet power of self-made art.
Headline photo: Charlotte Rankin
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