On February 13th, Valoria released a new single "The Ones We Love" featuring Eyker Cruz. Swemo caught up with the band to talk about this massive sounding new piece of post-hardcore goodness.
Swemo
On February 13th you released your new song "The Ones We Love." What was the creative process like for this? Was it an idea that had been toyed with for a while or did it come together quickly?
Valoria
The creative process for "The Ones We Love" was centered around emotion from the very beginning. We pieced together an initial instrumental demo and the chorus locked in immediately. That was where it all felt the most real and vulnerable. We weren't chasing any specific sound or trend; we wanted to be honest and let that reflect in the lyrics and song overall.
Swemo
Eyker Cruz gets a feature and a lyrics credit, how did this collaboration come about?
Valoria
We met Eyker Cruz when we did a short run with Set for Tomorrow back in September 2024. They are all great dudes, but his vocals were the thing that really stuck with us. When we were working on this track, we kept thinking his voice would hit perfectly, so we sent him the demo and lyrics and basically said, "Do your thing." We gave him full creative freedom to add whatever felt right. What he sent back to us was unreal. It fit the song like it was always meant to be there and we can't imagine how the song would be without his feature now.
Swemo
I'm always fascinated at the state of modern recording, this track has a big sound with screamy vocals, strings, back and forth between clean and dirty guitar parts, what was the recording like? Did you book studio time or work this out with home recording?
Valoria
First off, a huge shout out to Randy Pasquarella over in Beacon, NY. He’s been our go-to producer from day one. He recorded our first EP "Dead Languages", and since then it’s just clicked. We'll work on demos at home to flesh out our ideas and build a vision. Once we're starting to dial things in, we'll send demos and head to the studio to bring it to life. Our writing style tends to lean into these bigger productions with tons of layered vocals, guitars, strings, and whatever instrumentation or soundscape the song calls for, so having someone who really understands our sound makes all the difference. When you're working with a producer who's genuinely invested and knows how to navigate your chaos, it just feels right. Especially now that we have worked with him for awhile, he has a great sense of our vision and the creativity just explodes when we're in the studio together.
Swemo
This is your first single released in almost a year, are you actively writing and recording now? Is there more to come?
Valoria
Yeah, it’s been almost a year since our last single, "Find A Way." We’re always writing and recording, but we don’t rush our releases, as we want every song to have its own purpose and get its opportunity to tell its story. With "The Ones We Love" we're starting to craft and share a new story. So yes, you can definitely expect more music from us through 2026.
Swemo
Are there any real world circumstances that helped shape the lyrics of this song? Who is the ghost you both regret?
Valoria
Yeah, absolutely. The real world circumstances behind the song revolve around mental health and the importance of actually acknowledging it. A lot of people move through life without the right tools or the space to articulate what they’re feeling.
As for the ghost we both regret, it isn’t a specific person - it's us. It’s the version of ourselves that ignored our mental state, stayed in denial, and kept pushing forward without facing what was really going on.
Swemo
What's the scene like in Rhode Island? Will people be able to hear this one live soon?
Valoria
Being from Rhode Island, the scene here is honestly underrated. It’s a real mix of everything indie, emo, grindcore, hardcore, you name it. Many shows aren’t just one genre either, it’s a melting pot and somehow it always works.
And yeah, “The Ones We Love” is officially in the set. We’ll be playing it throughout 2026, so you’ll definitely get to hear it live if you catch a show.
Listen to "The Ones We Love" Now!