Double-PLATINUM Country band and Arista Nashville hit makers LANCO return with a blast of rafter-shaking energy today, dropping the fist-pumping, outsiders anthem “Rival.” A rowdy, other-side-of-the-tracks tribute to forgetting the haters and standing your ground, “Rival” represents “the next step” in LANCO’s evolution and the first taste of the chart-topping band’s upcoming second album.
Fans can listen to “Rival” at all digital retailers here.
Pounding beats and organic undertones create a unique, tough as nails sonic mix, while anthemic gang vocals join quirky electro-country flourishes, banjo and guitar shredding. Produced once again by Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Brothers Osborne), frontman Brandon Lancaster and drummer Tripp Howell teamed up for the co-write. It was built from an off-kilter groove that Howell took to Lancaster after a show one night. The two instantly wrote the track on the back of their tour bus, and it continued to find life with the rest of the band as they worked it up during soundcheck in the following days.
“There’s so much pressure to be like someone else or to live up to some outside expectation, especially with social media and how perfect it makes everything look,” explains Lancaster. “We wrote this song from the perspective of no matter where you come from, be proud of who you are and the way you’re creating your own path. And if anyone doesn’t like it, just chalk them up as a rival and keep doing your thing.”
“We realized that everyone has faced something they have to stand up against. It isn’t about fitting into any mold, it’s about sticking up for what you believe in and having that crew of friends around that will always have your back,” Howell adds. “That’s definitely a big part of our story. We didn’t know anything or anyone when we started out trying to break into this business, and I think that underdog mentality really drove us in the beginning.”
As “the band continues to cultivate an identity as expert showmen” (Rolling Stone), they have already road-tested “Rival” at arenas across the country. To watch the immediate fan reaction, click here or watch below.
