Making Lemonade: An interview with myth valley

Meet Myth Valley, an artist whose music is an electrifying fusion of electronic, punk rock, and alternative genres. With a sound that is as eclectic as it is emotionally charged, Myth Valley's music weaves a vivid tapestry of sonic landscapes. Her influences range from early inspirations like Skrillex, deadmau5, and Porter Robinson to her personal experiences, creating an immersive journey for her listeners.

In this interview, Myth Valley delves into the creative process behind her highly-anticipated EP, 'Inevitable,' her commitment to conveying subtle yet relatable messages through her music, and the emotions and stories she aims to convey with her ruggedly beautiful sound. Join us as we explore the artistic world of Myth Valley and the unique stories woven into her music.

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Your music seamlessly combines electronic, punk rock, and alternative genres. Can you share an unexpected or unusual source of inspiration that contributed to this eclectic fusion?

When I was growing up, my music taste was very broad.

But there were for sure genres I frequented way more than others. EDM and its sub-genres being one of my favorites. It wasn't until later on in my teen years I would get really into more alternative music. I took a lot of inspiration from my favorite artists from childhood to now when creating my most recent songs, my early inspirations being Skrillex, deadmau5 & Porter Robinson.

I've been really inspired by some of the really early Sonny Moore songs and demos. My sound really is an ongoing evolution for me, right now I'm in the best spot I've ever been with how I feel about my sound.

"Inevitable" has been a much-anticipated release. Can you describe the most challenging aspect of creating this EP, and how did you overcome it in the creative process?

The most challenging thing for me was conveying a message subtle enough that it could be interpreted in any way the listener would like across the 3 songs. I wanted to keep my lyrics vague and not so direct or in your face about the subject matter I was writing about, whilst still leaving listeners able to draw their own relatability from the songs. Overcoming this wasn't exactly the hardest thing, but I think I did a decent job.

For example, when writing "scarecrow", the topic at hand, which I want to leave up to interpretation still, is a decently heavy topic and has a deeper meaning. But I wrote the lyrics in such a subtle way that almost anyone could relate it to their own personal struggle that they may be going through or have gone through!

I definitely want to stray away from this approach in future releases though, I have things I want to write about and I want them to be known.

Your sound is often described as "ruggedly beautiful."

How do you personally interpret this description, and what emotions or stories do you aim to convey through this sonic aesthetic?

To me, I interpret it as sounding rough, challenging, and strong while at the same time sounding like something you'd regard as stunning.

My aesthetic is very specific, I'm from Philadelphia, but I've not always been much of a city person, I actually feel quite lost in city life. Through my sound, I want to convey what it feels like being lost in a life where you don't fit or feel you belong, the feeling of a need for change and wanting to desperately switch up your entire life track and go live in a remote area with lots of barren land or something.

I use my own personal stories as inspiration in my sound and I try to think like, "what would this SOUND like if it were music?"

A lot of my aesthetic sonically stems from my own personal emotions and experience. My life has been very chaotic for 90% of it, I don't think I've had many moments of just normality or relaxation until recent years. I want to convey the chaos as well as calmness through my sound, hence why some of my songs have those loud rock breakdowns and drops but most of the song is more mellow or doesn't get too loud.

My upcoming release "push back!" displays this kind of sound as well!

Songwriting can be a deeply personal process. Is there a specific track on "Inevitable" where your own experiences or emotions are most prominently reflected?

Definitely scarecrow.

That song is so very deep and holds a lot of personal meaning to my own story and experiences. I definitely want to go into more detail about the topic of the song but I prefer to leave it up to interpretation!

"Inevitable" explores cutting and anthemic themes. Can you walk us through the overarching narrative or message that you aimed to convey with this EP?

I definitely intended for people like me to feel connected to the music.

One thing I will note is a lot of my music is thematic to LGBT+ experiences and navigating the world as a queer person with a lot of different personal struggles, if I wasn't too obvious.

But I don't think I intended for an overarching message with these tracks. They all tell their own individual stories, up for interpretation to the listener. In the long run, I just want those who stumble upon these songs to get something out of them, whether that be healing, finding relatability to the topics I touch on, or even just enjoying the sound or style of them!

Whatever it may be, I think we all enjoy and connect to music differently and that's cool!

Artists often find themselves inspired by various forms of art beyond music. Are there books, films, or visual art that have had a significant influence on your creative process?

When I was around 15 or 16 years old I was really into filmmaking and horror web series'/unfiction content. I personally was creating content in these spheres and was pretty successful in creating my own "analog horror" series as a teenager. I had such a specific creative process back then, and a lot of the art I created and consumed over that time period still influences me and trickles down into the art and music I make today.

Your lyrics are known for their relatability. What's a central theme or message you hope listeners take away from your songs, and why is it important to you?

If I had to pick a main message to send to people who listen to my music, it would be this: Whatever your situation may be, however bad it might be in this current moment, no matter how lost you feel, there's always gonna be something out there for you, and it's going to get 10x better in the future. Take your worst, most challenging experiences and create something worthwhile from them, whether that be music, art, or something else.

As an underground artist, you maintain a strong connection with your audience. How have your fans and their feedback influenced your growth as an artist?

I wouldn't necessarily say I have "fans" yet, but the small audience I do have has been ever so dedicated to supporting me and my art, I'm incredibly appreciative of it. A lot of my personal growth as an artist has definitely been influenced by those around me who support my music, whether that be from advice I've been given or just hearing how someone connected with my songs.

All of it influences me to grow and be an even better artist than I was before.

"Inevitable" marks a significant point in your career. Can you share a behind-the-scenes moment or anecdote from the making of this EP that listeners might find intriguing or unexpected?

So the main track itself, "Inevitable", was actually going to be scrapped.

I made it as a demo, and it started out as a copycat track of the song "Cops and Robbers" by Underscores, who is one of my favorite artists of recent years by the way.

It wasn't until my friend Jasmine heard it over Discord screen share that I decided to make it into a full song. I played it for her and she freaked out, she wanted to work on it and turn it into a collaboration between us. Which I was incredibly open to, as we have worked on songs in the past, even in person where we have great chemistry. We always come up with something unique or crazy catchy whenever we get on a song together.

So for inevitable, I fleshed out the instrumental more and she sent me guitars for the sorta nu-metal-ish breakdown at the end of the song.

In the end, I think it's safe to say I'm glad I didn't end up scrapping the song.

Looking ahead, what artistic goals and ambitions do you have for Myth Valley, and how do you envision your music evolving in the coming years to continue pushing boundaries in your genre-blending style?

I have a specific direction for my music, in the future I'd love to be able to drop cool little music videos for my songs that tell a story in each one, as well as I really want to have the means at some point to travel and perform my music live. I have some cool ideas for live set visuals and things I can do to perform in unique ways.

Overall my main goals are to just get out there more and make connections with those similar to me, whether that be sound-wise or those who have a similar vision to mine. While also continuing to evolve my sound and create better and better music whenever I can.

I only plan to get more experimental with my sound in the future, I want to evolve my sound in ways that I haven't thought of before.

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