Mind Equals Blown

New Valencia song + music video: “Dancing With A Ghost”

There are very few pop-punk acts I regard as highly as Valencia.  Their last album, We All Need A Reason To Believe, is an honest, heartfelt journey through the grief, coping and conquering of a past relationship gone awry, all backed by solid musicianship rarely found in the genre.  After two years of touring and writing, today we received the first track from their upcoming album, Dancing With A Ghost.

The beat here is a bit more poppy than we felt on the last album.  Guitar tones and programming have been polished, drums have been tightened and the result is a more stock track.  That being said, “Dancing With A Ghost” is a great offering from a band that’s attempting to follow up on their 2008 masterpiece.  It’s sickeningly accesible; mom and little sister will bop to this on the way to work and recess.

I’d love a bit more rawness and depth from the album (meaning I’d like it to be more reminiscent of We All Need A Reason To Believe).  This one is just a tad too pop for my normal taste, but it will get the deserved spins.