Hovvdy

Hovvdy play Valley Bar on Friday, October 23, as part of their Big World tour. It's a headlining slot, so it's just the duo on the bill.

Will Taylor and Charlie Martin started the band in Austin, Texas, and they've been at it for more than a decade. They began in a quiet, slowcore place and grew into a more seasoned indie sound over five studio albums. That sound mixes twangy indie rock, 2000s-inspired pop-country, and acoustic ballads, all held together by a pop sensibility that keeps the songs from drifting too far into the background.

Their last two records brought things more to the surface. True Love, from 2021, was full of declarations of love; the self-titled Hovvdy that followed dealt with loss and personal change. The new one, Big World, shifts gears again, trading that direct emotionalness for more enigmatic subject matter. It's the record they're touring now, and it's the one that'll be at the center of the set.

If you've followed them since the early days, you've seen them move from those understated beginnings through the more open, emotional writing of the last few years and into this newer, more enigmatic territory. The set should pull from that whole run.

The show starts at 7 PM at Valley Bar, 130 N Central Ave, and tickets are $25 to $30.