Progress

Every Valley is a concept album that documents the progress and decline of the coal mining industry in South Wales. This song features Tracyanne Campbell from the Scottish band Camera Obscura repeating the line, "I believe in progress," over a musical background inspired by Kraftwerk, the electronic German group who were renowned for celebrating all things industrial.

During an interview with HMV.com, the comment was made that "the vibe is very much one of hope and optimism" despite taking place after the demise of the Welsh coal mining industry. Frontman J Willgoose Esq responded: "Well, the thing with that song is that, on the surface, it does kind of fit into our set in terms of believing in progress and the progress of mankind generally, which is what our previous albums have been about, in a way. But in the context of this album it's asking whether it really is progress for the people whose jobs have been lost and who have been kind of swept aside by the relentless march of human progress, so there's a kind of double-edged nature to it."