Manchester Orchestra will issue a new album, The Valley Of Vision — along with a virtual reality film of the same name — digitally on March 10 and physically on April 7 via Loma Vista Recordings. The Atlanta-based quartet also shared the lead single, “Capital Karma.”
Manchester Orchestra frontman Andy Hull co-produced The Valley of Vision with with guitarist Robert McDowell. Hull also collaborated with director Isaac Deitz in creating the LP’s accompanying virtual reality film. Deitz detailed the process:
“Andy and I had talked about doing a film and album collaboration since 2021, after I directed the video for their song ‘Telepath.’ A year later he sent me The Valley of Vision, and I realized we had the potential to really do something special. Experiencing the film in its intended 180-degree, 3D VR format feels like downloading a dream into your head, and listening to the album feels like receiving an abstract map of different lessons regarding the human experience – forgiving yourself, listening to yourself, letting go, and saying goodbye to the old. Trees seemed to me the perfect symbol to convey a lot of those themes of life, death, rebirth and growth, but I wanted the 3DVR film to be a way for people to listen to the music in a variety of compelling environments, while also having those stories woven in for anyone paying attention. Each symbol represents a different experience nested in our internal worlds; it’s up to you whether you want to just enjoy them, or try to interpret what the dream means.”
While screenings for the film in New York City and Los Angeles are sold out, Manchester Orchestra has a worldwide screening event via YouTube set for March 9 a day ahead of the album’s release.
Andy Hull also spoke making the music on The Valley Of Vision, the title for which Hull drew from a 1975 book of Puritan prayers his mother gave him for Christmas. The new record saw the band utilizing a creative process and instrumentation different from what the group was used to.
“Making The Valley of Vision was an exciting idea of what the future could be for us in terms of how we create,” Hull said. “None of these songs were written with the band being in the same room in a live setting. They were really like science experiments that started from the bottom and were added to gradually over time. We’re intrigued by doing things the wrong way, or attempting things we haven’t done before and getting inspired by them.”
Along with Manchester Orchestra bassist Andy Prince and drummer Tim Very, The Valley of Vision also contains contributions from Catherine Marks, Dan Hannon, Jamie Martens, Kyle Metcalfe and Ethan Gruska, with the latter playing piano on lead single and opening track “Capital Karma.”
Listen to “Capital Karma” below:
The Valley Of Vision Tracklist:
- Capital Karma
- The Way
- Quietly
- Letting Go
- Lose You Again
- Rear View
