Desert/Doom/Stoner Rockers MOSS VALLEY Release New Song WISDOM From Upcoming Debut EP FARAWAY

Moss Valley are a desert rock band based in Manchester, UK consisting of Zara Huxley (singer/bassist), Jack Stanley (guitarist) and Jake Lafferty (drummer). The band have quickly established a reputation for their powerful live sound and energy. Moss Valley lean heavily into doom-inspired riffs, texturally rich vocal arrangements and driving, energetic rhythms. 

Their songwriting delves deeply into the intricacies of human connection, the power of nature and the mysteries of universal realms, giving the music an otherworldly edge beneath its heavy sound. They have been compared to bands such as Soundgarden, Kyuss and Slomosa.

Faraway is a collection of songs that moves between heaviness and vulnerability, tackling themes of compassion, freedom and identity. The EP also explores the mystical side of Moss Valley - folklore, nature and the unknown weave through the songs giving the music an otherworldly edge beneath its heavy sound.

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Moss Valley - Wisdom (Single Review)

Release Date: October 09th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Wisdom - Tracklist

Wisdom

Members

Zara Huxley - Bass/Vocals/Composer

Jack Stanley - Guitar/Composer

Jake Lafferty - Drums/Composer

Review

Wisdom is the latest single from Desert Rockers Moss Valley and is from their forthcoming debut EP Faraway. The “Desert Rock” tag is slightly deceiving as Moss Valley blend Doom, Grunge, Psych, Alt-Rock and Stoner Rock themes into their music. They also add some fantastic Folk inspired lyrics into the mix that allows their music to be inspired by the likes of Slomosa, Soundgarden, Green Lung and Windhand.

The music is constantly heavy when Moss Valley aims for a great Post-Rock and Shoegaze dynamic before exploring their dominant Desert/Stoner Rock aspect. The whole EP has a captivating Nineties Alt-Rock attitude with flourishes of modern Doom/Stoner Rock grooves that gives a great insight of how their upcoming debut EP “Faraway” will fully play out.

The sound is quite atmospheric with a gritty Stoner Rock/Metal attitude that has a classic KYUSS creative drive and energy appearing on certain sections of the song. Lead vocalist Zara Huxley moves around different vocal styles that can be quite endearing at the start but Zara is full on Doom Metal mode before the song finishes.

I would have liked a few more minutes with this track as the most exciting moments are towards the end of the song before it suddenly ends. However, this is a great track for Moss Valley to entice listeners with and I will tell you the rest of the EP is outstanding as well.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

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Moss Valley - Creature (Single Review)

Release Date: November 22nd 2024. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Creature - Track Listing:

Creature

Members

Zara Huxley (Vocals/Bass)

Jack Stanley (Guitar)

Jake Lafferty (Drums)

Review

Grunge/Stoner Rockers Moss Valley return with their new song Creature and it’s a more self-assured track compared to their debut single Beyond. As the band play a faster style of music that focuses more on the Grunge side of life with a subtle Desert/Stoner Rock swagger. The band even starts to develop a more aggressive Punk Rock sound which comes mostly through the excellent vocals from Zara Huxley.

Moss Valley experiment on the later stages with small hints of Alt Rock and Shoegaze appearing within the brief two and half minutes runtime of the track. With the lyrics being mostly within the OCCULT DOOM arena, Moss Valley once again play music that defies musical conventions and create their own catchy and fast-paced style that is perhaps strongest when they play a weirdly intoxicating mixture of Desert Rock, Grunge and Punk Rock

Creature once again allows Moss Valley to impress with the technical and songwriting ability that will no doubt allow the band to build up a loyal and dedicated following within the underground scene once they’ve released their debut EP or full length album in the near future.

Moss Valley is a band to most definitely look out for in 2025 and beyond.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

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Moss Valley - Beyond (Single Review)

Release Date: September 13th 2024. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Beyond - Track Listing:

Beyond

Line-up:

Zara Huxley - Vocals/Bass

Jack Stanley - Guitars

Jake Lafferty - Drums

Review

Moss Valley is a Grunge/Doom Rock band from Manchester, UK who blend classic 90’s Grunge with a gloomy sound that has a slight WINDHAND influence. Their new song Beyond is quite a powerful statement of intent from Moss Valley. The vocals are calmed and quite restrained with a stunning performance from lead vocalist/bassist Zara Huxley. With an Alice In Chains atmosphere being played in the background, the track has elements of Occult Rock and minor traces of Folklore appearing within the lyrics.

The music is quite dynamic with Moss Valley becoming quite Psychedelic and Progressive on the later stages of the track. The sound is quite multi-layered with Jack Stanley’s blistering and heavy sludgy guitars allowing Jake Lafferty’s drumming to bring a more modern vibe to the party. 

Beyond manages to pull off the difficult task of being quite contemporary and modern at the same time which manifests into sublime instrumental passages. This is a great way for Moss Valley to introduce themselves to the underground Doom/Grunge scenes with and is quite a different sound from other Manchester bands such as Barbarian Hermit, Boss Keloid and Ritual King who have made themselves known over the last few years. So give BEYOND a spin and be prepared to hear a band with a bright future indeed.

Words by Steve Howe

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