The evocativeness of the name Tender Forever is unusually representative of the music that Tender Forever (AKA Melanie Valera) creates. It may be somewhat difficult to track amongst the invigorating percussion that permeates the music, but Tender Forever's lyrics have a strong center in the intimate and revealing. Valera's slick arrangements do their part in creating a wall around the personal revelations that inhabit her songs, but a tender, beating heart lives in her music.

Though the musi cof Tender Forever spends a lot of time in the world of electronica, there's a tangibility to the songs that breaks free from the coldness that tends to well up in that kind of music. Synths and clatter buoy Valera's clear and affecting voice.

Hailing from France, Valera came to America on a brief tour with the Blow, before having a chance encounter with K Records' Calvin Johnson at a tiny show in Olympia.

"I sold everything I had to buy that ticket to the U.S.," says Valera. "The last show of the tour was in Olympia, and Calvin Johnson came to that show. It was in an attic, and there were maybe ten people there. ... The next day, I was going to the same show he was going to and he asked me if I wanted to record. I said, ‘I'm leaving tomorrow.' He said he'd extend my trip and my ticket. So, I stayed for two weeks, and we went into the studio.  After that, my life kind of changed. I became a full-time musician and have remained in the U.S. ever since," continues Valera. "That was six-and-a-half years ago."

Valera's music, through Tender Forever, has continually changed and evolved over time. What started as more plaintive pop has developed a sheen and drive that helps to highlight Valera's strength for pop songwriting. On Tender Forever's previous album, No Snare, Valera experimented with hyperactive percussion to offset her personal lyrics. This trend is continued on her new EP, Where Are We From.

"The big theme of Where Are We From is asking questions," explains Valera. "I think a lot of those questions arose from living in the U.S.A., and the cultural context of, ‘Who are those people, and where do they come from? What is this place?' I was questioning this concept of origins, and who we are, and where we're from, and how much of that alters ourselves.

"A lot of tempos and rhythm and beats in the album are inspired by flamenco, because my family's from Spain, and I love flamenco," Valera continues. "It's one of my favorite things."

On album highlights like "The Road Was Unkind," the combination of Valera's sighing vocals and the energetic and inventive percussion create something much more than the sum of its parts. Tender Forever achieves the uncommon: it can simultaneously touch your heart and move your feet.

Note: As if seeing Tender Forever wasn't reason enough, you should attend Friday's show in support of Northern and the Olympia All Ages Project. Though the venue for this performance is The Midnight Sun, the fine folks behind the aforementioned worthy causes help bring it to us. After a hiatus, shows are once again popping up on northernolympia.org. Keep an eye out. Hopefully there will be a new venue to announce.

Tender Forever

with STLS, Romanteek
Friday, Nov. 4, 8 p.m., $5, all-ages
The Midnight Sun, 113 N. Columbia St, Olympia
northernolympia.org