Helmed by Philip Korosec and Geoff Hrabar, Olivia Valentine are the indie prog psyche band that New Orleans, USA, and indeed the world, have been crying out for.

By Graeme Smith

For their latest EP, The Couch Cushions EP, they’ve formed a quintet with bassist Larissa Dietzel, multi-instrumentalist Thomas Dietzel, and drummer Daniel Bishop. Together they’ve given us five varied tracks to get our ears around.

The EP opens with the smouldering but relentless And Now Just Be. A rumbling riff gets things going before laidback yet compelling vocals come in. After the first verse, the track explodes into layered life with soaring high notes to contrast its bluesy, Spaghetti Western undertones. There’s a lot going on. It demands multi listens.

Korosec went to high school here in the UK and the collection has a British connection in more ways than one. There’s a touch of Britrock burning through it all, especially during the wistful RIDE which provides a raw, highlight.

My Records Back is a sultry, storytelling moment that sits at the heart of the EP. LOVE IS NOT gets all emosh during a textured trot. TANGERINE SOFA closes the EP with a melancholic number that contemplates Korosec’s father’s struggles with alcoholism.

Olivia Valentine’s new EP is, put simply, a delightful record. It’s five songs that keeps its nods to classic rock and roll subtle and takes the genre in new, mystifying directions. The guys say the spent “about ten million hours” putting it together and it shows. There’s not a note out of place.

The Couch Cushions EP was mastered by Nashville-based producer Piper Payne and is out now and you can give it a listen below.