Lovina Falls embraces escapism away from chaos with the ‘Ellery Way’ video

The celebrated art-rock project of Valerie Forgione unveils a new Joan Hathaway-directed visual for a sweeping new song on Tuesday, August 6

NOW PLAYING: Watch the ‘Ellery Way’ video on YouTube

Lovina Falls performs live at The Sinclair with Chameleons on August 10  

Listen to ‘Ellery Way’’ on Spotify

BOSTON, Mass. [August 6, 2024] -- Since arriving on the scene a little over a year ago, Lovina Falls continues to have a transportive effect on the listener. The genre-bending art-rock project from Boston singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Valerie Forgione conveys through music and visuals an uncanny ability to deliver us into her enchanting sonic landscape of fantasy and escapism. Earlier this summer, Lovina Falls released a propulsive single in “Tragedy,” described as “elegant baroque-pop drama” by The Boston Globe, and the fast follow-up arrives via a Joan Hathaway-directed music video for an affecting new electronic-leaning track titled “Ellery Way,” set to premiere on Tuesday, August 6.

Both the track and the video for “Ellery Way” debut ahead of Lovina Falls’ August 10 appearance at The Sinclair in Cambridge, where Forgione and her band share the stage with English post punk legends Chameleons. It’s just the fourth Lovina Falls live show since the project formed, bringing the Mistle Thrush vocalist back to the stage after a decade away, following a headlining July 4 weekend set at The Rockwell and a spring appearance at the Rock and Roll Rumble. 

The sweeping “Ellery Way,” which builds as a slow roll over its four minute runtime with a calm urgency and confident embrace, further showcases Forgione’s blossoming creative vision, curating a new musical world where Hathaway’s direction brings her cinematic sounds into panoramic view. The song was written with a visual component in mind, and acts more like a video release than a traditional single.

“‘Ellery Way’ is about being blissfully unaware of external chaos and breathing in a beautiful moment,” Forgione says. “It’s about navigating unfamiliar places with someone and embracing them fearlessly. It’s about taking control of your world – not letting the world take control of you.” 

And it provides a follow-up to a storyline first introduced within the lush, dark cabaret of “Tragedy,” Forgione admits, where the June single and its angry and provoked reaction to our chaotic world give way to the peaceful moments we have with those who we love and trust. “Ellery Way” isn’t an end to the chaos we ensure every day, but rather an escape from it, a love-letter to those who help transport us somewhere else – whether it be physically, mentally, or emotionally – when we especially need it most. 

“Where ‘Tragedy’ is post-apocalyptic, with its themes of isolation, disappointment, and struggle for personal meaning in a chaotic world, ‘Ellery Way’ is about connection, imagination, and appreciation for a shared and fantastic reality,” she adds. “It invites us to escape and encourages us to recognize and hold on tightly to what is extraordinary. Given the precipice it seems we are all teetering on, it felt like the timing was right.” 

After Mistle Thrush took an indefinite break in the early 2000s, reuniting briefly in 2011 and 2014, Forgione focused on theater work around the Boston area, writing scores for local theater productions as well as contributing music for podcasts and select indie films. After debut album Calculating the Angle of our Descent dropped in Spring 2023, where Forgione performed nearly all the album’s instrumentation, she rolled out a series of well-received music videos in “On Your Side” and “Vaulted.”

And so the video for “Ellery Way” marks the third collaboration with Hathaway, one of the Boston music scene’s most in-demand directors. Here, the themes of love and comfort in a dystopian landscape flash across the screen in vivid hues and dusty flashbacks, as Forgione sings from above while narrating a guiding light that helps the couple find a way out of the darkness, showcasing the strength of companionship in seemingly impossible times. 

“Joan and I met at the diner to discuss the song’s theme, and over a sandwich, I handed her an hourglass and said my only prerequisite was that the video includes a scene with two people inside,” Forgione admits. “Joan immediately formed the narrative, with two individuals enjoying each other’s company while the world around them erupts in chaos.” 

She adds: “To me, music is a multi-dimensional and visceral experience. A piece of music is more than just words or song structure; it’s about how the sounds are shaped, it’s about volume, dynamics, the colors it may evoke, and the emotions or images it might inspire. Incorporating a visual component helps to make these things more tangible. It’s like adding another instrument that enhances the immersive quality of the experience. Joan’s style is very complementary to the songs, and with ‘Ellery Way’, the storyline unfolds at the same cautious speed as the song itself.” 

Helping to maintain that cautious speed on “Ellery Way” are some of Forgione’s most trusted co-conspirators and collaborators: Mistle Thrush drummer Todd Demma and bassist Matt Klain hold down the foundational rhythm section on the recording, while live band fixture Brenden Cobb provides guitar and other sounds, and co-producer David Minehan supplies the Synare. Forgione delivers the vocals, piano, synths, loops and sounds for the track, which was recorded and produced by Lovina Falls with Minehan at Woolly Mammoth Sound, in Waltham, Massachusetts. 

In the end, it’s another chapter in the unfolding story of Lovina Falls, one that seemingly has no end in sight.  

“Overall, I find that the ideas are coming more quickly than they did for the last album,” Forgione concludes. “I’m also more aware of my limitations, which prevents me from spending time trying to do something that inevitably will not work. There’s also a sense of continuity among the songs that can be both good and bad. On one hand, they are a part of a cohesive whole. On the other hand, if I write too many songs in succession, I risk using similar sounds or following a similar structure. All that said, being conscious of this has prompted me to push myself in new directions. As a result, I think the next album may be a bit more unconventional… and perhaps unexpected.” 

The only way to know for sure is to come along for the ride. 

‘Ellery Way’ production credits:

Written and produced by Valerie Forgione as Lovina Falls

Recorded and produced by Lovina Falls with David Minehan at Woolly Mammoth Sound

Valerie Forgione: Vocals, piano, synths, loops & sounds

Todd Demma: Drums

Matthew Klain: Bass

Brenden Cobb: Guitar

Lovina Falls artist bio:

Welcome to Lovina Falls, an enchanting musical landscape crafted by veteran indie singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Valerie Forgione. 

Described as “elegant baroque-pop drama” by The Boston Globe and “buoyant” by The Big Takeover, Lovina Falls entered the scene in Spring 2023 with debut album Calculating the Angle of Our Descent, spawning video singles for the hypnotic, harpsichord-driven “On Your Side” and ethereal synth-rock genre-bender “Vaulted.” A singular musical vision, all songs on the album were written, arranged, and produced by Forgione, as she accompanies her enduring alto voice with piano, analog synths, guitar, bass, organ, and drums, earning comparisons to the likes of Fiona Apple, Bat For Lashes, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sharon Van Etten, and Angel Olsen.

Forgione’s latest project also gets compared to her former band, Boston’s beloved Mistle Thrush, whose combination of indie rock drive, dreamy textures, and sparkling pop song craft endeared them to many throughout the late 1990s and into the 2000s. Through their existence, Mistle Thrush shared stages with such luminaries as The Strokes, Spiritualized, Sonic Youth, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Lush, and Slowdive; won numerous Boston-area music accolades; were featured in Billboard Magazine, and saw their music on TV show soundtracks. Steve Morse of the Globe wrote that Forgione has "some of the most versatile pipes since the dream-pop heyday of Kate Bush".

In 2024, Lovina Falls excitingly emerged as a live, collaborative project, sometimes swelling to nine members on stage, participating in the Rock and Roll Rumble and opening for Chameleons at The Sinclair. An urgent new single called “Tragedy” stormed the streams in June and a video for “Ellery Way” surfaced in August. 

More new music from Lovina Falls is yet to come. 

Media praise for Lovina Falls:

“...elegant baroque-pop drama” _The Boston Globe

“Valerie Forgione’s best-known band, the atmospheric local ‘90s outfit Mistle Thrush, split in 2002, but it took until 2023 for Forgione’s first solo album, Calculating the Angle of Our Descent, to emerge. Staking slightly different territory from that of Mistle Thrush, it’s a darkly enjoyable trip, exploring several forgotten sonic trends from Forgione’s creatively fecund heyday.” _Boston Magazine   

“Though Lovina Falls’ buoyant, airy baroque/synth pop differs markedly from her former band’s Slowdive-conjuring, wall-of-guitars shoegaze, it’s just as nuanced and textured, thanks to intricate layered instrumentation from Forgione and her guests. But it’s her elegant, wide-ranging alto voice, still bedazzling after 22 years, that’s Calculating the Angle of Our Descent’s main draw.” _The Big Takeover, Issue 94, Spring/Summer 2024 

“‘Tragedy’ is a gorgeous, lush track that is a beautiful example of how Valerie Forgione effortlessly turns lyrics and sound into breathtaking art.” _The Whole Kameese 

“Lovina Falls, the brainchild of indie sensation Valerie Forgione, drops a stunner with ‘Tragedy’. This track masterfully blends art pop cabaret vibes with a chorus so catchy it could make Placebo green with envy. Forgione’s knack for elegant baroque pop drama, mixed with a modern emo rock edge, is pure magic. ‘Tragedy’ is a bold declaration of the unique, mesmerizing path Lovina Falls is destined to follow.” _Last Day Deaf

“[Calculating the Angle of our Descent] is a joyfully unclassifiable album that ranges from baroque pop to bracing electronics, both warm and challenging, with Forgione’s gorgeous voice delivering stories about the human condition.” _The Boston Globe 

“‘Tragedy’ takes the baroque pop of her album and makes it rock out. This new song starts off how we’d expect a new song from Lovina Falls to go with lovely instrumentation and harmony. And then the song takes off into a more 90's style, noisy and chaotic burst, all while keeping all of the melody and harmony intact. ‘Tragedy’ is an intense and beautiful track that has us dying to hear even more.” _If It’s Too Loud

“...absolutely beautiful.” _Scene Mom Says

“Ex-Mistle Thrush singer/songwriter Valerie Forgione has taken two (three? five? a hundred?) steps forward with Lovina Falls. To call Forgione’s new project a rock band is right and totally wrong. First, she wrote, arranged and recorded debut album Calculating the Angle of Our Descent as a one-person show. Second, it sounds like the soundtrack to a wonderland where the Bohemians, goths, punks, and dreamers took over.” _Boston Herald

“Some sleek modern production values serve to reassure us that we are not, in fact, forgetting ourselves, and that ‘Vaulted’ is truly brand new: a delightful amalgamation of old-school songcraft served up with a modern character.” _Rumor Control

“Captivating and colorful like the song itself, the visual [for] ‘Vaulted’ sports a series of scenes in settings ranging from a magic show, a carnival, and an abandoned playground which, under the watchful eye of Hathaway, adds greatly to the Lovina Falls mystique.” _Rock & Roll Fables

“From the haunting sound of the harpsichord on ‘On Your Side,’ to the exquisite fusion of baroque pop harmonies on ‘Back of My Heart,’ Lovina Falls is truly the reflection of a unique musical vision.” _Oleada Indie

“‘Too Bright To Burn’ is a trippy, instantly sticky and bass-driven vibe with Forgione’s crystalline voice flowing all over it. It’s part of her notable debut longplayer Calculating The Angle Of Our Descent.” _Turn Up The Volume

“Lovina Falls sees Forgione going in a new sonic direction. The latest single from her new album, ‘On Your Side,’ is more baroque pop than alt-rock. There are still the basic elements of 90's indie rock sprinkled throughout ‘On Your Side’, and even some of the more pop focused side of trip hop. It’s an interesting new direction for one of our favorite Boston 90's artists, and we’re looking forward to seeing what other directions Lovina Falls goes in.” _If It’s Too Loud

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