Andrew Bower (vocals/guitars), an expatriate Australian then living in Houston, enlisted his brother Sean Bower (bass) and Dan McNaulty (drums) in his hometown of Brisbane, Australia to form The Valery Trails in 2011. With the assistance of the internet and some intercontinental travel, the trio developed a set of songs started in Andrew's home studio into The Valery Trails' debut album Ghosts and Gravity, released in February 2012.
Second and third albums Buffalo Speedway (2014) and Chameleon Bones (2016) followed, with the three albums’ melodic and atmospheric indie rock receiving college and specialty airplay in the US, as well as critical acclaim from outlets such as PopMatters, The Big Takeover and many more around the globe.
Following Andrew’s move back to Brisbane in 2020 The Valery Trails began their transformation to operating in a more conventional manner, gathering to record 2022’s The Sky Is Blue, with long-time collaborator Tim Steward (Screamfeeder) taking a more active role in the band, and Skye Staniford (We All Want To) providing additional vocals as she has since the band’s second album. Radio airplay in several Australian cities and an east coast tour significantly increased the band’s Australian profile, while the album once again charted on US college and specialty radio, maintaining The Valery Trails’ profile on that side of the Pacific.
This extended Valery Trails line-up reconvened in 2024 to work on a set of songs that would become the band’s 5th album, Winter Palace. The new album continues the eclectic approach to genre of its predecessor, with songs exploring synth-pop stylings, horn-driven retro flavours, and some straight-up rock and roll sprinkled among the band’s trademark powerpop crunch and jangle.
Heading into the band’s second decade, The Valery Trails continue to strive towards their goal to build a body of work on their own terms.
