Xavier Valdez shines bright on his standout track "Colorado" from newest EP, SUN
Review by Austin Sher
“Colorado” is Xavier Valdez’ shining star from the release of his newest EP, SUN. We thoroughly enjoyed what we heard and we think you will too! Read along with us as we break down the track, as well as provide a bit of background on the artist himself.
While the EP was released very recently on August 14th, 2020, the focus of this article will be primarily on the standout track, “Colorado”. Before we get into it though, it’s always best to familiarize ourselves with the artist and the steps they took to get to this point in their career. Xavier Valdez requested the aid of former band member and now current partner Lyle Mauricio, to include a more dynamic sound to the EP. After playing for years around the LA scene, they’ve come to establish themselves in this new project as very seasoned musicians.
With the help of a friend and engineer Austin Asvanonda, who mixed 2020’s “Animal” as well as an early “Responsible”, Xavier eagerly waited until the time was right before hitting the ideas of SUN. His ideal method for capturing his style has lied on the middle ground of “pop” and “indie.” SUN is completely vulnerable to Xavier. From pushing a loss of love on “Colorado,” to a battle of feelings in “RTS,” Xavier has decided to be completely open with himself for the first time.
One of the first things you’ll notice within the lyricism is the complete openness that Xavier exudes through the stories he’s telling. The entirety of SUN has a similar outdoorsy feeling from track to track. Although the songs are clearly different within their themes, it’s still very much a complete project from our impressions. While Xavier didn’t cite musical influences, we immediately thought of early Grizzly Bear and Arcade Fire as potential influences just based on this sound. Seeing as Grizzly Bear are a timeless band and their sound is so unique, this release struck as something special to be able to emulate a sound like theirs.
Seriously though, the overall indie pop and almost folksy sound on “Colorado” really makes it feel like you’re standing on a mountain side overlooking an actual Colorado sunset. It’s not everyday that the title of a song can be so reminiscent of an actual place, yet I feel that was successfully achieved. If you’re looking for a laidback track with a nice vibe to it, look no further, because this one’s for you. Additionally, if you like what you heard on “Colorado”, the obvious next step would be to listen to the rest of SUN, in addition to the rest of his discography. Stop what you’re doing and get listening!
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