Indie folk artist Brother Valiant has just shared his important new EP Better Luck Next Time. AJ Amsterdam, the creative force behind Brother Valiant is a unique voice in modern indie folk. Known for his deeply introspective lyrics and emotive delivery, his work often navigates themes of existential struggle, personal reflection, and loss.
Brother Valiant's ability to blend raw, confessional songwriting with intricate arrangements is one of his greatest strengths. His new EP showcases his knack for storytelling, with a lyrical depth that resonates on a personal level. His voice, which can shift from fragile and vulnerable to impassioned and urgent, carries a distinctive quality that makes his music both compelling and memorable.
Highlights include the folky foot stomping "Lady Daisy" with its enthralling guitar picking and stacked melodies. The song chronicles losing touch with someone but also looking at your own shortcomings. The song's anthemic chorus is filled with moments sure to make everyone sing along. Then there is "C'est La Vie", a song all about faults and how hard it is to change someone. Soulful vocals, nostalgic rich acoustic instrumentation and an impassioned chorus thrill with every note. Then there is "A Dream So Clear", a touching song about losing a long time loved one and the eternal nature of true connection.
We spoke with the artist about his new EP, favorite song, musical inspiration and creative process.
Hi AJ, congrats on the new EP Better Luck Next Time. Can you tell our readers about some central themes in the new music?
Thanks! As far as themes, most of the songs revolve around coming to terms with qualities you do not like about yourself. Self-acceptance sprinkled in with a desire for self-improvement. It can be a bumpy road when navigating what makes you tick, and there are times it feels insurmountable. Some of these songs are about powering through and trying to find those answers to yourself. Some of the other songs deal with things like love, loss, and grief. Ultimately, they all sort of reflect personal moments in my life or moments I interpreted from others I am close with. Short stories, more or less.
Take us through the creative process. Who did you collaborate with and was the writing process like?
Some tracks were from a while ago which I held off releasing, or were completely re-recorded after I wasn't happy with them. They all were born out of a hodgepodge of sessions either recorded in New York City or Nashville. I would come up with the foundations of the songs either by myself or with my producer (lyrics, melodies, chords, etc.) and we'd get them to a place where we would sit with them for a day or two and come back and see if what we had was worth continuing with. We really liked putting on movies while working to get into a headspace. One on repeat was that 70's French Sci-Fi film, "Fantastic Planet". Also a few Miyazaki films. For a few sessions we'd have people come in and give them directions on what we wanted, and a few others just did their thing. We'd mess around with takes for hours until we found what we were looking for. It was also just trial and error. In the end, a few songs are a bit more toned down, and few are definitely big and bombastic. I like the juxtaposition when putting them all together.
Any comical or fun stories you can share during the recording process?
It may not have been fun at the time, but my producer Dave and I were working on one song that wasn't working. We kept forcing it and really it just sucked, it wasn't good. We were writing and recording from that morning until almost 2am nonstop. Exhausted, we went to get away from the studio and started messing around on a guitar and piano upstairs. Starting from scratch and just noodling around through free association, we ended up writing a new song within the next hour. That song was "Lady Daisy" and it's funny to me now that we worked our asses off with nothing to show for it, and only after we were mentally depleted, we ended up with something infinitely better than we ever thought we'd get that day. Sometimes I guess you have to get a whole bunch of things wrong to finally get something right if you work hard enough at it.
What do you hope listeners take away from the new music?
I like to write stories that can be open enough lyrically to have someone internalize them and reflect on their own life experiences. I hope that whoever wants to and takes the time to listen to the EP can relate to it in some way, shape or form. That would be awesome.
Do you have a favorite song on the EP and if so which one and why?
That's tough. Maybe "A Dream So Clear" because we did that one in one take. It was satisfying just getting that performance down as cleanly as possible. There are some imperfections on it, but I quickly grew to embrace them and love what they added to the sound. It would have felt inauthentic to try and make perfect.
How do you think Better Luck Next Time differs from your past musical releases?
Some of the songs are old. Quite old. The EP is pretty much a small, concentrated reflection of where I've been and where I am now creatively. However, "now" is now "then", as I have continued to write even more songs while waiting to release this EP. I guess it differs from past releases because it allowed me to put songs together showcasing my own personal growth as an artist across a few years. The other albums captured very specific moments in time, but "Better Luck Next Time" is a small illustration of a timeline that spans close to ten years.
Any plans to tour with the new music?
Most definitely if I can get my act together (figuratively and literally). Hopefully in the next few months.
If you could creatively collaborate with anyone living or dead, who would that be and why?
Connor Oberst. He just knows how to write songs that absolutely wreck me. He can be overly dramatic and brooding, but also write some of the most timelessly poetic lyrics that stay with you. I learned a lot just listening to Bright Eyes ever since I was an awkward teen with a bad emo haircut in high school. Sometimes, I still think I'm just that kid.
Finally, what's next for Brother Valiant?
More new music in the near future which I am excited about! Hopefully some of that will be making rounds by the end of the year. Also new merch. Gotta love merch.
Connect with Brother Valiant: INSTAGRAM
