Gabriel Sebastián takes us on a journey of self discovery through his debut album. Bridges and Valleys is a conceptual narrative of a young man who finds himself in the middle of life’s cycles. It begins with a story of creation as we focus in through the different songs on our protagonist. After being commissioned into the world with a purpose, society pulls him away as he grows up. Filled with lies and self-centeredness, the protagonist recognizes the futility of trying to be what the World wants from him.
It’s then that we are introduced to the second character: his soul-mate. A series of love songs ensue as our character begins to understand what real love means and how we are willing to change our ways in pursuit of it. There is something deeper to life than originally guessed, and the protagonist begins to re-engage his identity as a new man. Looking back out onto the creation narrative, he realizes that with all of the significance of his journey, it’s only a small yet beautiful part of God’s story.
The album title is derived from Gabriel Sebastián’s last names (apellidos). Pontón is a surname derived from the word for Bridge in Spanish (puente) while Vallejo is derived from the word for Valley (valle). There is an inherent cycle in the ideas of crossing over a valley by a bridge and going through the valley itself, and yet you’re always traveling somewhere new. The album concept seeks to portray just that.