Death Valley Dreams have signed with Better Noise Music and marked the deal with a dark, atmospheric interpretation of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game.
by Paul Cashmere
Death Valley Dreams have joined the Better Noise Music roster, with the Pennsylvania alternative rock band introducing the partnership through a new version of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game. The signing brings the group’s blend of post-punk, synth-rock and alternative guitar music to a label whose roster includes a broad range of contemporary rock acts.
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton band was formed in 2015 by Nick Coyle, a vocalist, guitarist and keyboard player with previous experience in Lifer, The Drama Club and Stardog Champion. Over the past decade, Death Valley Dreams have developed a sound drawing on 1980s artists including The Cure, Depeche Mode, Bauhaus and Echo & The Bunnymen, alongside later influences such as The Killers and Interpol.
Better Noise Music Director of A&R Lexie Viklund said the signing represented a new direction for the label.
“Death Valley Dreams brings an exciting new dimension to the Better Noise roster,” Viklund said. “With a group of seasoned professionals coming together to pursue their shared passion for music, the possibilities are truly endless.”
The Wicked Game release provides an immediate indication of where Death Valley Dreams sit musically. Rather than reproducing Isaak’s original arrangement, the band slows the song into a synth-driven alternative interpretation built around layered guitars, electronic textures and a deliberately restrained vocal performance.
For the band’s singer and keyboardist, the choice was closely connected to the group’s existing musical identity.
“It’s one of those songs that’s just hauntingly beautiful and dark,” the musician said. “I’ve always gravitated toward that kind of mood, and Wicked Game has always been one of those songs that stuck with me.”
Death Valley Dreams began in northeastern Pennsylvania, with Coyle establishing the project in the autumn of 2015. Johnny Nova, a former collaborator from The Drama Club, joined on guitar, with the original line-up completed by bassist Ryan Dougherty and drummer and sampler Matt Rutkoski.
The band released its self-titled debut EP in January 2016, featuring Words Like Fire and The Darker Years. The early recordings established the combination of post-punk structures, electronic elements and melodic alternative rock that would remain central to the project.
A significant change came in 2017 when Coyle joined Cold as a guitarist. Nova subsequently became part of Cold’s touring and recording operation, giving the two musicians an opportunity to continue developing Death Valley Dreams while working within another established rock environment.
Death Valley Dreams continued releasing music during that period. Turn Out Those Eyes appeared in 2018 and was subsequently used in the independent film Baby Frankenstein, with drummer Chad Szeliga contributing to the recording.
The group underwent another substantial line-up change around 2022 and 2023. Coyle and Nova rebuilt the live band with keyboard player Ryan Williams, drummer Jasper Joyner and bassist TJ Bell, known for his work with Escape The Fate. The expanded line-up provided the foundation for the band’s fuller combination of electronic and guitar-based instrumentation.
That period also produced the album Lust In The Modern World and the 2023 single Leave Me Alone, which featured Brandon Yeagley of Crobot. The track helped broaden the band’s exposure within the American rock circuit and led to appearances at festivals including Louder Than Life and Aftershock.
The Better Noise Music agreement now gives Death Valley Dreams a new platform as the group continues developing its alternative and synth-rock catalogue. The release of Wicked Game also places the band in a lineage of artists who have revisited Isaak’s song while changing its emotional and sonic emphasis.
For Death Valley Dreams, the choice is particularly aligned with the band’s preference for darker themes, atmospheric production and nocturnal imagery. The new recording retains the tension and vulnerability of Isaak’s composition while shifting the musical setting towards the band’s post-punk and electronic influences.
The signing represents the latest stage in a project that began as a regional Pennsylvania band more than a decade ago. With a new label behind the catalogue and Wicked Game establishing its current direction, Death Valley Dreams now move into the next phase of their recording career.
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