Local Review: Valentine and the Regard – The Devastating Affair

Valentine and the Regard
The Devastating Affair

Feral Cat Records
Street: 07.15
Valentine and the Regard = Beach Fossils + R.E.M

The latest release from Valentine and the Regard is a nice change of pace. The EP The Devastating Affair reverts to the early days of what made alternative music great, with faint influences of the The Smiths, Tears for Fears and even She Wants Revenge—The Devastating Affair is slow and melodic.

The first song is the title track and has a great story. We are told about a man who seemingly has his life together before a relationship comes together and then unravels in an excruciating fashion: “Before she un-glues everything.” This lyric really captures the theme of the album. Things happen, and it’s about the recovery and how we react. Valentine and the Regard hit that on a deep level on this EP.  The song ends with the declaration, “And I don’t know what to do.”

“I Think I Am Sick” is the second track. The song is a lament of a broken man looking back and thinking, “Why did I work so hard?” The song is great, but I can’t help but feel there was more potential with this specific topic dealt with in the song. It does not take away from the EP— however, it does not add the powerful undertone it is capable of.

Valentine and the Regard have been releasing music in 2016 like it is nobody’s business. Each album and EP are vastly different from each other. They have been able to stick to themes throughout each new release that can only come from personal experience, and The Devastating Affair is no exception. I would love to see Mike Maurer let loose even more on vocals—he has a unique voice, and if he can let his full range show, Valentine and the Regard would easily further cement themselves as a mainstay local talent. –Aaron Jones