Vallens is the shoegaze-oriented solo project of Toronto-based singer/guitarist Robyn Phillips. A native of London, Ontario, Phillips moved to Toronto at the age of 18 and spent several years playing lead guitar in various indie bands while slowly assembling material for her first solo venture. Using a name inspired by her favorite film character, Blue Velvet's Dorothy Vallens, she began recording hazy, highly textural songs that took inspiration from artists like the Birthday Party's Rowland S. Howard and Portishead. After completing her first LP with Psychic TV member Jeff Berner in Brooklyn, she joined the roster of Canadian indie label Hand Drawn Dracula and issued her first single, "Tennessee Haze," in late 2015. Her full-length debut, Consent, was slated for a June 2016 release. ~ Timothy Monger