Charismatic Auckland-based artist Sal Valentine is proud to unleash his brand-spanking, infectiously-catchy, pop-infused tune ‘Cherry Blossom’, accompanied by an exuberant official video directed by Dahnu Graham (Madly).

Drawing musical inspiration from acts such as Vulfpeck, Anderson Paak, Steely Dan and Beck, ‘Cherry Blossom’ sings out from Sal Valentine’s past material, serving up a sizzling mix of soul/funk, with a big injection of pop-sensibility, all wrapped up in Sal’s smooth, velvety vocals.

More than an artistic reinvention, ‘Cherry Blossom’ marks the shedding of a skin, and reveals another side of frontman Sal (Ivan Luketina-Johnston). Like a lot of Sal Valentine’s previous work, this new track brings the party and makes you want to get up and dance your misfortune away, but what is clear is that he’s now stepped out as an artist in his own right. This is intelligently-crafted pop music, put together in a live band environment that relies on sheer skill over post-production and autotune.

“I'm no stranger to tongue-in-cheek production details - kitsch orchestra hits, low-quality violin samples, 90s R&B stabs, Nile Rodgers-esque rhythm parts etc but it was very satisfying to apply them to a song with lyrical depth. It's strange to think it almost didn't make the cut. I rewrote the whole chorus in 2017, two years after I started it, and cut a whole minute out. I'd say this tune ate up nearly double the amount of time that any other track took to complete. The old version, by comparison, sucks balls.” - Sal Valentine

‘Cherry Blossom’ is the first single from Sal Valentine’s upcoming album This Party Blows.

Sal Valentine

Wellington – Meow, Saturday May 12th

Tickets from undertheradar.co.nz