Led by Australia-born, UK-based songwriter Laura Kovic, and featuring David Hillier (guitars), Naomi Griffin (bass) and Nathan Stephens-Griffin (drums, percussion, additional guitar), Fortitude Valley introduced their sunny blend of indie rock and power pop back in 2021 with a bright, laidback self-titled debut, but forthcoming follow-up Part Of The Problem Baby promises to inject a newfound energy into the style. Set for release later this summer via Specialist Subject Records, Part Of The Problem, Baby finds Kovac and co. having grown into the skin of Fortitude Valley, a collection of songs with more momentum and confidence than its predecessor, yet still retaining all of its charm.
Lead single ‘Sunshine State’ hits the ground running. A track which finds Kovac addressing her younger self, delving into the person she was before and during her move from Brisbane to the UK, and how the competing desires for home and escape never really go away. “I found some old journals from when I was a teenager, and they made me reflect on how much I’d changed as a person,” Laura Kovic explains. “There were things about myself that I’d forgotten, but it was clear how much I’d always wanted to move to the UK. I was so keen to get away! From such a beautiful place! So the song is like: I’m going back to the Sunshine State to find my younger, more melodramatic self and catch-up with her.” The result is both confessional and compassionate, allowing past feelings the respect they deserve while acknowledging the ways we change over time, and ultimately coming to offer a nuanced picture of the ways we form relationships to a place.
Part Of The Problem, Baby is out 1st August on Specialist Subject Records and you can pre-order it now from the Fortitude Valley Bandcamp page.
Illustration & album design by Sophie MacKenzie