Lovina Falls – Would That It Were

There is a throughline that courses through the creative world of Lovina Falls, the dark dream-pop project of Valerie Forgione that twists and aches through a corridor of experimental art-rock, poetic lyricisms, and a melange of balanced emotion in an uneven world. It’s about finding one’s tribe, holding close those you cherish, and fostering a sense of community and creativity in a time when we seem to need it most.

Those notions exist at the kaleidoscopic core of Lovina Falls’ new EP, an enchanting dose of eclectic sounds and sororal awareness titled Would That It Were, set for streaming release on Friday, September 5.

The expansive five-track record, a collection of recent singles and two new tracks, arrives a week and a day ahead of its official release party, a carnival-themed evening of sonic enchantment at Sonia in Cambridge alongside the similarly theatrical Count Zero and Gene Dante and the Future Starlets, where a limited run of CDs will be available. 

“It’s been quite a year, and like so many other people, I have been trying to figure out how to navigate the unexpected insanity,” says Forgione, the Boston-based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. “Pouring myself into this release and working with such exceptional people has given me something far more positive and productive to focus on.”

Would That It Were is the official follow-up to 2023 debut album Calculating the Angle of Our Descent, and its tone is firmly planted in the here-and-now, with Forgione approaching life in vivid color to contrast our dystopian landscape’s increasing grayscale. There is hope in this record, a tonic to the world’s hostility.  

“The songs all share a similar theme,” Forgione notes, “they are songs of escape, of strength amongst the destruction, and the battle between good and evil. And because they are about wishing things were different, Would That It Were seemed a fitting title – a kind of lyrical ‘If only’.”

Like many things in this chaotic 2025, the sense of tribalism in the creative world of Forgione takes on a few meanings. It corrals an audience who was first treated to her striking alto voice a few moons ago with Boston alt-rock luminaries Mistle Thrush, and gives them a personalized invitation to join in on this new exciting chapter.

And it finds Forgione solidifying her own tribe, taking what was born as a solo project and outlet for the music that stirred within her and evolving into a full-fledged band where collaboration on stage has influenced and inspired how the studio compositions would evolve.

“With the introduction of a live counterpart, songwriting has taken on a different form,” Forgione admits. “Instead of simply crafting songs, there is an element of performance in the concept. So not only am I building on a theme, story, or emotion, I can also envision how the dynamic changes might impact the listener in a live setting. As with the first album, the songs have multiple lives – so you can hear it one way, and experience it another. I love the idea of an ever-changing listener experience.”

Would That It Were is both an exclamation point on Lovina Falls’ expressive output since the release of their debut album a little more than two years ago, and an exciting gateway to what comes next. Its cover image is the second part of a larger multi-media art piece incorporating photography, painting, and sound that will emerge with additional releases, and its track listing corrals three recent singles – last year’s “Tragedy” and “Ellery Way”, this year’s “Light and Low” – as well as a recorded version of live favorite “About The Sun” and new spotlight single “In The Corner.”

“The EP is a bit of a songwriting travelogue – ‘About the Sun’ was written around the same time as the debut album,” Forgione reveals. “It was inspired by the soundtrack music I had been writing, and was a very visual piece in its construction. Last summer and fall brought on ‘Ellery Way’ and ‘Tragedy’ with a thicker and more dense sound, again inspired by the ability to perform it live.”

She continues: “The two most recent songs (‘Light and Low’ and ‘In The Corner’) were an exercise in simplification, with an intentional melodic theme repeating itself through each. This simplicity serves a specific purpose – to create a familiar idea and keep moving forward, as a kind of analogy for the times. I am particularly excited about ‘In The Corner’, too, as I was able to (finally!) incorporate vocoder into a song. I am and remain a sound nerd.”

“In The Corner,” with its upbeat nature, vivid motion, and electronic-pop buoyancy, all together feeling like a distant cousin to Calculating standout “Hologram,” delves into an internal battle of good versus evil, Forgione reveals, exploring the allure of temptation against the straightlaced alternative.

“It’s about curiosity, intrigue, and religious deconstruction,” she adds. “And it’s about taking chances, regardless of the perceived risk. Clearly, I have the destruction of the Earth on my mind. Current leadership aside, we are tripping over ourselves to destroy this earth and each other. ‘Ellery Way’ and ‘Tragedy’ are also tangentially related to that theme, as are ‘Light and Low’ and ‘About the Sun’.”

The first fruits of Would That It Were arrived last summer in the lush, dark cabaret of “Tragedy,” a loud and crunchy composition with a heavy-set percussion and relentless drive that reflected Forgione’s growing frustration with society’s post-pandemic tension, and ultimately, how we’ve been treating each other.

It was quickly followed by “Ellery Way,” released ahead of a live performance at The Sinclair with Chameleons, a sweeping tune that builds as a slow roll with a calm urgency and confident embrace, further establishing Forgione’s world of sound. The two summer releases displayed a spectrum of emotion, one often found across a Lovina Falls tracklisting.   

“Where ‘Tragedy’ is post-apocalyptic, with its themes of isolation, disappointment, and struggle for personal meaning in a chaotic world, ‘Ellery Way’ is about connection, imagination, and appreciation for a shared and fantastic reality,” she adds. “It invites us to escape and encourages us to recognize and hold on tightly to what is extraordinary. It’s about being blissfully unaware of external chaos and breathing in a beautiful moment, navigating unfamiliar places and embracing it fearlessly. It’s about taking control of your world – not letting the world take control of you.”

Earlier this year, “Light and Low” put a definitive stamp on the forthcoming EP, a rousing jaunt of electronic sounds, harpsichord, and dizzying propulsion that now opens the record. Naturally, a song about moving forward comes with Forgione’s usual cautionary tales.

“‘Light and Low’ is about recognizing that as time goes on, it’s ok to let go of old and ‘historic thinking’ to create a new path through and out of the Thicket of Now,” she says. “It’s about knowing that when things change, the path is not predestined. Change the change. Move with conviction but head gracefully into the unknown, light and low.”

That serves as not only sage advice, but a reflection of Forgione’s own path that led to this moment. After Mistle Thrush went on hiatus in the early 2000s, reuniting briefly in 2011 and 2014, Forgione focused on theater work around the Boston area, writing scores for local theater productions as well as contributing music for podcasts and select indie films.

But something stirred within her creative spaces, and soon a blueprint for the Lovina Falls sound quickly formed, taking the lush grandeur of her former band and sharpening its senses for a sonic cocktail that blends art-rock, baroque-pop, post-punk, glam, and whatever else bubbles up from the songwriting cauldron. With Would That It Were, Forgione has taken another massive leap forward – and she knows she could not do it without her tribe.  

Engineered by David Minehan and produced by Lovina Falls and Minehan at Woolly Mammoth Sound in Waltham, Massachusetts, with mastering done by David Locke at JP Masters, Would That It Were was written and performed by Forgione as Lovina Falls, with a sprinkling of studio additions that would be familiar to those who experience the grand spectacle that is the Lovina Falls live show.

Brenden Cobb contributes guitar on “Tragedy” and “Ellery Way”; Chameleons drummer and Mistle Thrush stickman Todd Demma supplies drums on those tracks plus “Tragedy”; Lovina Falls live drummer Chuck Ferreira performs drums on “In The Corner”; Matt Klain delivers bass on “Ellery Way”; Alice Lee Scott performs guitar on “About The Sun” and “Tragedy”; and Minehan adds additional guitar on “Light and Low,” “About The Sun,” and “Tragedy.” Lovina Falls live keyboardist Carrie Ingger is cited by Forgione with special thanks for the mix assistance.  

Forgione is glowing in her praise for her Lovina Falls confidants, collaborators, and co-conspirators. 

“Alice Lee Scott is an incredible sound manipulator, and Brenden Cobb is a distortion wizard,” she says. “The combination creates a live guitar sound that is both grounded and out of this world. Matt Klain is able to take a simple bass part and add a life and energy that propels the songs forward. He provides drive and buoyancy, and with Chuck Ferreira, creates the momentum that hurls the songs through space and time. Chuck is just one hell of a drummer, and one of the most consistent live metronomes I’ve ever had the pleasure of sharing a stage with. He has done an outstanding job reimagining both the electronic drum parts and those recorded by Todd Demma.”

Forgione continues: “Carrie Ingber has one of the hardest jobs; not only am I a keyboard player, the parts I write can be somewhat challenging to perform live. She has an exceptional ear and spends a great deal of time working and perfecting sounds to create the ambiance and heft the songs call for live.”

On stage, Forgione’s vocals and the song’s harmonies are augmented by a pair of voices, swelling the Lovina Falls live ensemble to as many as eight people. “Laura England Klain and Emily Drohan are our beautiful vocal angels,” Forgione says. “I would be at a loss were they not there with me on stage. Harmonies are my fire, and being able to perform three-parts live is like nothing else in the world.”

And neither is the feeling of community that Forgione has built in a few short years. From playing underground venues to the bright lights of venues like The Sinclair and Sonia, the tribe remains intact. Forgione hopes that while she has surrounded herself with those she can trust, others find solace in the music, as well. 

“Perhaps folks will enjoy, perhaps they will not, but at the very least, it would be neat to provide some distraction,” she concludes. “What’s really interesting as a musician this time around, is that it’s not about getting that big break or having ‘good metrics’ – it’s about being part of a community of artists creating together, and sharing existence with others. We can most effectively influence our immediate world, so convene, share, and do good whenever and wherever you can.”

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