HTRK have a new single entitled “Valentina” off their forthcoming LP Rhinestones due out September 17th via the duo’s new imprint N & J Blueberries. Nigel Yang and Jonnine Standish cite an infatuation with “eerie and gothic country music” for the album’s often acoustic-leaning and windswept noir ambiance. On “Valentina,” “the uncanny coincidence of the night” becomes the impetus for Standish’s smoldering meditation on an obsessive relationship. There’s a late-night intimacy to her voice as the thorns of a rose become a metaphor for the sharp ache of desire that joins two lovers. Meanwhile, a tangle of acoustic guitar notes enfolds her voice in a warm glow as fingers can be heard lighting up the strings as they move in fluid streaks up and down the neck of the instrument. It is with just this kind of minimal arrangement that HTRK often leave their most lasting impression.
