Through the Deep, Dark Valley

Vinyl edition cover

## Chronology

*The Oh Hellos' EP*

***Through the Deep, Dark Valley***

*The Oh Hellos' Family Christmas Album*

Digital cover

***Through the Deep, Dark Valley*** is the first full-length album by indie folk rock band The Oh Hellos. Primarily written and composed by Maggie and Tyler Heath as a concept album, it was released on October 30, 2012. Initially featured on their Bandcamp, it was later released on streaming services like Spotify and as both a CD and a 12-inch record.

## Background

After the duo had released their debut self-titled EP, both were enriched by the experience and felt compelled to make their first full-length record. Discovering the ways in which musical elements of genres could be integrated together in the wake of acts like Mumford & Sons, Tyler and Maggie began to bring on a larger ensemble of musicians and friends in order to experiment with their sound. Through this, they created denser and grander musical landscapes with their recordings in comparison to their first EP. They saw more disparate elements come together into a singular whole, adding elements like accordion, banjo, percussion, cello, viola, and backup vocals in order to create a more lively, energetic presence.

Thematically, the record pulled from the experiences of the Heaths' regarding their own feelings on love, family, personal growth, faith, and one's identity in the midst of rebellion and trekking throughout the world. While initially penned as a concept album, the record follows a somewhat loose narrative regarding the narrator as they discover themselves as they contemplate their own faults and regrets as well as the people and experiences they've turned away from in the midst of their rebellion. To quote Tyler, it felt to him by the end of the album that the narrator would get to the point of saying "You know what? Maybe I need to go home and right some wrongs that I did", which would guide the journey of the narrator moving forward.

## Release and Response

*Through the Deep, Dark Valley* was officially released on Bandcamp on October 30, 2012. It would eventually be released on Spotify and other streaming services thereafter. In late 2016 after the release of their second album, *Through the Deep, Dark Valley* was released on physical media both as a CD and as a 12-inch vinyl record alongside the rest of their catalog. Across all eleven tracks, *Through the Deep, Dark Valley* has 67 million plays on Spotify as of December 2022, with "Like the Dawn" and "I Have Made Mistakes" holding the most plays at over 13.6 million and 8.5 million plays respectively.

## Gallery

Vinyl sleeveTracklistBlack/Gold vinylSide ASide B

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “Maggie and Tyler Heath: The Oh Hellos”. The BlackSheep Podcast: Presented by HM Magazine. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Through the Deep, Dark Valley. (2012, October 30). The Oh Hellos. https://music.theohhellos.com/album/through-the-deep-dark-valley
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Grey, Stephanie (2016, September 28). "The Oh Hellos on C.S. Lewis, Christian Art and Learning to Trust the Music Industry". Westword. https://www.westword.com/music/the-oh-hellos-on-cs-lewis-christian-art-and-learning-to-trust-the-music-industry-8335857
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Times, Music (2015-10-15). "The Oh Hellos Bring C.S. Lewis Inspirations to Rich New Album 'Dear Wormwood': Interview". Music Times. https://www.musictimes.com/articles/51006/20151015/oh-hellos-interview-dear-wormwood-cs-lewis-new-album.html
5. ↑ The Oh Hellos. (2016, December 7) “Our ENTIRE CATALOG is now on #vinyl! Available through our website, @Bandcamp, and merch tables on tour!. Twitter. https://twitter.com/theohhellos/status/806567576474001408
6. ↑ Through the Deep, Dark Valley. The Oh Hellos. https://open.spotify.com/album/4fJpCpkOfZTTCd4UmYJnsI?si=i2D8JW2BRAKZO11JUobNww&dl\_branch=1