In contrast to Gold & Grey, the pleasure in Valley of the Sun’s Old Gods is largely to be found in its simplicity. We’re still in the realms of heavy music, but Valley of the Sun plough a much straighter furrow. They picked a pretty darn good one, though. This record is crafted from some stone-age riffage of the highest order. Best on show is opener and title track ‘Old Gods’, which is hands down my favourite track by anyone in 2019. I’ve played that song to death (frankly so good that it probably pushed this whole album up a place or two). Of course, one swallow does not a summer make, and there are plenty of other treats to be had on Old Gods beyond its title track. Other highlights: the shameless party rock of ‘All We Are’ is boogie-tastic; ‘Means the Same’ evokes any number of 90s rock classics; ‘Into the Abyss’ flirts with prog but keeps it real. All this is framed by three perfectly pitched interlude tracks – the ‘old gods’ themselves – which somehow sit above proceedings but help give everything depth and texture. I’m not sure what longevity there is to be had here: I suspect this may fade quicker than some of the albums immediately below it on this list. But, right now, it’s certainly worthy of its third place spot.