Philly mainstays 22º Halo dropped an incredible album earlier this month called “Lily of the Valley”, a soft and honeyed indie pop record rife with amazing guitarwork and serene vocals amidst vast stretches of heaviness. ‘Lily’ follows the band’s 2021 album “Garden Bed”, another great reflective-yet-poppy release which caught my ear pretty heavy back then.
At the helm of the band Will Kennedy, who writes the bulk of the tunes and is joined with an ensemble of other Philly musicians, including his wife Kate who has contributed vocals to both of these latest releases. Live, they’re amazing, with an ensemble of 5 total musicians as of late all of whom take part in Philly’s local scene. Garden Bed shared construction with members of the overall band with Will calling shots, where as Lily of the Valley is all Will with vocal contributions from his wife Kate.
Years have passed since Bed dropped and 22º Halo took a back seat in my rotation. It wasn’t until this summer on a long drive on the 5 across California that the single “Bird Sanctuary” off of Lily spun on a playlist by Margeuax aka marg.mp3, a musical curator who makes amazing playlists and reccommendations, all killer no filler. The first 2 seconds of that track immediately hooked my brain and the rest of the song proved so sweet – I honestly played the track on repeat about 50+ times for the following hour or two on the drive.
“Garden Bed” (2021) itself felt somewhat akin to a Helvetia joint, parts in placid tone and tempo, where as Lily dials up the hooky/obliquey guitars and stride. Bed truly exceled at capturing a sense of tenderness and nostalgia across texture and lyricism, touching on friendships and relationships in a musically world building way that greatly paints warmth and wistfulness.
“Lily of the Valley” (2024) carries over that essence with a marked growth in song crafting on a track by track basis that’s so good and catchy, all the while dealing in large part about Will’s wife’s cancer diagnosis which this album is openly about.
From a far earshot, Lily of the Valley feels like a lighthearted and buoyant record in its pace, yet grapples with such heaviness as a means of catharcisism and maintaining levity across its beautiful artistry. All of the instrumentation on the album is astounding, with its guitar craft that really shines. The leads, harmonies and embellishments feel like they take tone and handiness from bands like Sonic Youth, Women, Bibio, and so much more into it’s own work that results in a genuinely great pop record.
In all, Lily of the Valley is such an astoundingly good independent album that at depth tackles enormous duality with brilliant craft. Definitely a year topper for sure as far as rock records. Don’t hesitate and check out this record now!