Black Country unsigned synth-poppers Grande Valise proud of their roots

So it makes sense somebody would take different reference points and mould them into one slice of bostin' culture full of local titbits for keen-eared listeners.

In this case it's Grande Valise, a two-piece-turned-four-piece who craft wistfully sweet synth-pop vibes reminiscent of their influences such as OMD, Kraftwerk and The Flaming Lips - while also touching elements of LCD Soundsystem or Hot Chip in their style.

They are due to release their second album Glass & Keys next Friday, and have based it heavily in the region that spawned them. The name itself, for instance, comes from the two trades the respective corners of the Black Country they grew up in are famed for.

"I think it’s fair to say we’re both enormous geeks," says 36-year-old Becky Pickin of Brierley Hill, one vocal half of Grande Valise and also the romantic other half of co-founder Andy Miles, aged 35, and also from Brierley Hill. "Our interests in art, history, heritage, design, architecture and typography are as big an influence as the music we’ve grown up listening to.

"This might sound strange, given how retro Glass & Keys may sound, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking everything was better in the past – we wanted to be a bit more critical than that. Celebrating the optimism and self-confidence of now-defunct companies like Sunbeam, and to a lesser extent the Chubb brothers in Charles and Jeremiah, seemed to us an elegant way of thinking about progress."

"Years ago we were talking about how many of our favourite American bands often referenced local places in their songs, but British bands seemed to do so less frequently," Andy adds. "As we chatted, we realised a project that spoke about the Black Country was something that could generate a lot of interesting ideas. Becky coined the phrase Glass & Keys, representing Brierley Hill and Willenhall - where we’re originally from."

The pair first started jamming in 2003 and have since released their debut record Minnewater in 2013 and been joined along the way by 36-year-old Brummie John Napier and Carl Bayliss, 46, from Stourbridge.

"Minnewater was recorded in a bedroom with both of us playing all the instruments for a lo-fi, but full-band, indie-pop sound," says Becky. In another local twist, all the proceeds from that record went to Brierley Hill Samaritans.

"Our live sound was another story. Having only four arms between us meant we performed acoustically, which came out far folkier than we intended."

So they went bandmate hunting, and found somebody they liked working with so much they later joined two more bands with him - Combined Authority and The Snowflakes.

"In 2015 we met John, who’s our most supportive and encouraging collaborator," she adds. "By that point we’d been dabbling in a more electronic sound.

"John pushed us to try this live, which we finally did at the Sunday Shenanigans open mic night at Scary Canary - now Claptrap the Venue in Stourbridge. The Claptrap community is open to experimentation and collaboration, and through it we met Carl, who we’ve played with in another local band Sleuth.

"It felt natural to ask John and Carl to help fill out our live sound. It worked so well we wanted to capture that energy on Glass & Keys; they’ve contributed beautifully."

Much like their 2013 debut, work on Glass & Keys began at home. They wanted to conceive a "personal history of the Black Country", and the end result they feel is "what you'd expect from a librarian and an ex-historian".

"We began recording synths, some guitars, and vocals," says Andy. "But after wondering where on earth we could go to record live drums, we lucked out in befriending Sean Lloyd - co-owner of the wonderful Claptrap. He was setting up a studio upstairs at the venue and offered us some recording time.

"While recording I told him I wasn’t very confident in my mixing ability and he kindly offered to mix a track. The result sounded so great that we asked him to mix the whole album. The process became increasingly collaborative, with Sean becoming the album’s producer. The process took the best part of a year, as we all tried to fit things in around work and life, but it was a wonderful experience."

On top of the influences mentioned, listeners to Glass & Keys may also be reminded of the work of Public Service Broadcasting, particularly their 2017 record Every Valley that depicted the history of the mining industry in Wales. PSB often put society, history and storytelling at the heart of their creations. And it seems so do Grande Valise.

"There’s so many more Black Country stories we could write about," admits Andy. "In fact, we did cut some from the finished album, but I think for the immediate future we’d like to move onto something different.

"I really like records with a cohesive theme and we already have loose plans to make the next record about the optimism for the future that engineering, science, and transport offered in post-war Britain."

And the local scene - including some former The Ticket Unsigned stars - is another aspect that provides them with inspiration.

"It feels like in and around Stourbridge, since meeting more musicians locally, we haven’t had to look too far for inspiration," Becky says.

And Andy adds: "There’s a wealth of creativity here in acts such as Flying Ant Day, The Smokin’ Pilchards, Balaban & The Bald Illeagles, Real Velour, Raphaella Kornarskis, Amoeba Teen, Sleuth, Odmansbox, The Humdrum Express and Shotgun Marmalade."

Glass & Keys will be launched with a gig at the venue that made it possible.

"We’re really excited to be launching the album at a special gig at Claptrap the Venue on April 12," says Andy. "We'll be supported by The Psychotic Male Voice Choir and Amoeba Teen."

For more on Grande Valise, follow them on Facebook @gvalise and Twitter @GrandeValise. Glass & Keys will be available digitally via Bandcamp, with physical copies for sale at the launch night then available for online mail order via Bandcamp a few days after. Tickets for the Claptrap show are available from the venue.