Renny Conti Speaks Frankly in “Valley Ford” - Atwood Magazine

      Renny Conti’s “Valley Ford” serves as a caviar bump of stark honesty, filled with emotionally indifferent statements that unravel upon acknowledgment.

      Ford (noun): a shallow area in a river or stream allowing for crossing.

      Ford (verb): to traverse that aforementioned shallow water.

      Using both the noun and verb in a sentence—“I ford a ford”—is a self-referential act.

      Despite the awkwardness of “I ford a ford” as a phrase, its weight does not lessen its meaning: I cross, I am crossing, I am crossing myself.

      To cross oneself is to question everything, and Renny Conti does just that in “Valley Ford,” the follow-up single to his self-titled album, Renny Conti, and his first release under Mom+Pop.

      The lyrics of "Valley Ford" reflect a sense of waiting and introspection:

      I was in the backyard

      waiting for a full moon

      Nothing ever hurts

      if you never let it touch you

      Carry my, carry my,

      carry my body home

      Never need a fix

      if you never have a problem

      Dreaming of a holiday,

      but my money ran late

      Manipulating time,

      wishing I was in another state

      Carry my, carry my,

      carry my body home

      Why am I afraid of

      losing people that I barely know?

      Conti’s approach is cautious and exploratory, delivering his lines with the rhythm of someone on the edge of an epiphany. Each line hits with the weight of recognition, with pauses long enough for listeners to grasp the meaning but not so long that they can linger. There is no time for reflection; we must keep progressing.

      The second line, “Nothing ever hurts if you never let it touch you,” encapsulates the essence of the track. Conti sings from a place of stagnation, where life influences him rather than the other way around. “Never need a fix if you never have a problem” are statements expressed more as facts than self-critique. With a vocal style similar to that in “Looking at the Geese,” where he notes shrews are the smallest mammals and the world’s priciest camels are valued at 53 million dollars, Conti presents the phrases in “Valley Ford” as inherent truths of existence.

      Did I lie on, try on you?

      Did I move on, move on through?

      Will I get back to you?

      The song represents a gritty examination of distance as a mental shield. Stating such things plainly highlights them, compelling one to confront and analyze the assertions. The very act of vocalizing these thoughts challenges their validity. Conti confronts his own indifference, preparing for the inevitable confrontation.

      By listing each lyric as if documenting an objective observation rather than sharing personal struggles, it is only in the song’s final minute when he questions, “Did I lie on, try on you? / Did I move on, move on through?” that the dam breaks. The song transforms into an energetic mix of shoegaze and folk. Explosive snares and crashing cymbals propel the intertwining lap steel and guitar melody forward, eventually yielding to the subtle hum of amplifier static.

      Somewhere in my memory

      we spent a night alone

      Awoke in California

      staying in my parents’ home

      And out of Valley Ford

      I couldn’t see a road ahead of me

      Water rising from the reservoir

      and moving over everything

      Did I lie on, try on you?

      Did I move on, move on through?

      Will I give back to you?

      Indeed, to ford is to cross; to persevere. Renny Conti’s “Valley Ford” stands as a resilient reflection on pointed indifference and the internal discord it creates, remaining as candid as it is reflective and contemplative. We find Conti in motion, witnessing the trail of raw honesty and clever insight he leaves behind.

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