After a few months off the radar, California's three-piece New Beat Fund has again smashed into your summer with the new single "Valley Girls." A heatwave of slick production, breezy tunes, and inimitable West Coast attitude, it's a song that's as much about the feeling of driving down with nowhere to be as it is about anything else. The band consists of Jeffrey LaLiberté, Paul LaLiberté, and Shelby Archer and has resurfaced and done so effortlessly, terrifically, in a way that only LA natives can swing. Written and produced by the band, "Valley Girls" is everything New Beat Fund fans have come to love, as the band is unpredictable, unadulterated, and raucously visceral.
"Valley Girls" is a frothy cocktail of alt-pop sensibility and funked-up bass lines garnished with a mischievous grin. It doesn't force the issue, which is indeed its genius. The track whirs with a casual sort of swagger that evokes the palm tree-lined mess of the San Fernando Valley, all sun-kissed sheen concealing true grit. The band's signature DIY touch remains clear in all the ups and downs of the beat, providing a sound that's as smooth as it is distinctive. But beneath the summer vibes on the surface, there's a sly, clever satire at work. "Valley Girls" is not just a celebration of the culture for those in the know. It's poking, lifting, flipping over, and laughing at itself. That's New Beat Fund's wheelhouse, transmuting their traps into hooks and archetypes into sing-alongs.
"Valley Girls" is an ideal re-entry point to the duo's warbled world of sunbaked rhythms and off-kilter pop. And the timing could not be better. Right when the summer haze begins to creep in, they're here with a song custom-fit for poolside speakers and late-night drives through LA's neon maze. For longtime fans, it's a satisfying reminder of why New Beat Fund developed a cult following. Whatever they've been doing over the past six years, they haven't changed too much. New Beat Fund taps back into its California mindset to create a feeling you can't shake.
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