LOST VALENTINOS - CITIES OF GOLD

 

Surging forth from the urban sprawl of Sydney, Australia, comes Lost Valentinos, a collective of five young men armed with indie-rock dreams and an album’s worth of what they’ve termed “conquistadisco”. While it sounds obscure, Lost Valentinos’ signature style is something they’ve been working on and refining since their debut in 2005.

Over time, countless others have succumbed to the appeal of this ambitious sound. 2007 saw Lost Valentinos impress tastemaker and super producer Ewan Pearson (the string-puller behind recent albums from The Rapture, M83, Junior Boys and Delphic) who was so compelled by the band’s zeal that he climbed aboard to produce their debut record, Cities Of Gold.

Pearson’s faith in the band was soon echoed by other influential figures. Leo Silverman, the man responsible for the UK success of The White Stripes, The Vines and The Avalanches, chose Midnights as the second single to be released from his new label, Dummy Records. Fan Death and Emperor Machine were enlisted for remix duties, adding to a list that includes the likes of Shinichi Osawa, Bumblebeez and DFA up-and-comer Jacques Renault. UK tour dates and a 2009 Splendour in the Grass announcement soon followed.

But this level of expectation is not something new, considering that Lost Valentinos’ unrestrained ambition had previously impressed superstar Australian producers Kim Moyes (one half of The Presets), Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes (of PNAU and Empire Of The Sun) enough to record the band’s first EPs (The Valentinos and Damn And Damn Again respectively), whilst boutique tastemaker labels like Kitsuné, Japan’s Raylee/Klee, and Bang Gang 12 Inches lined up to release their records before home-grown talent stable etcetc were won over, too.

 

 

Track Listing

1. Midnights

2. In The City Of Gold

3. Serio

4. Francisco (Y Los Trece De La Fama)

5. The Bismarck

6. Thief

7. Between The Squalls

8. Nightmoves

9. Dark That I Love

10. Great Leap Forward

11. Happiness Made Easy