Valley Maker represents the work of singer/songwriter Austin Crane, a South Carolina native whose earthy folk-rock missives explore the nature of human connection with an attention to detail reflective of the project's origin in academia. From his eponymous 2010 debut, which also doubled as his senior thesis, Crane went on to develop a rich and intimate sound over subsequent releases like 2018's Rhododendron and 2021's When the Day Leaves.