Lanco’s ‘Rival’ Is a Defiant Summer Anthem [LISTEN]
After releasing their debut album in 2018, Lanco are back with a brand-new, foot-stomping single. "Rival," released Thursday (March 21), is a message from an underdog to everyone who's ever doubted them; readers can press play above to hear the track, which packs plenty of attitude into its three minutes.
Prior to the release of "Rival," Lanco sat down with The Boot and other media outlets for an interview in Nashville, Tenn., to share more about the song, written by the group's Brandon Lancaster and Tripp Howell. It's a song with personal meaning, and writing it, they said, was similar to a therapy session. According to Lancaster, the writing process began one night over a conversation about what was going on in their changing lives at this point in the band's career.
"{We realized] it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what you’re doing in life, everyone has a moment where they feel like their back is against the wall, where maybe people aren’t rooting for them," Lancaster says. "Just kind of saying, let’s write this anthem. It’s important to tell people that you matter, you’re important, and be proud of who you are, be proud of where you come from, and go do what you want in life. If there is anyone that wants to stand in your way, that’s all right. That’s just reality, and chalk them up as a rival and use them as motivation."
The message of "Rival" aligns with people from all different strokes of life, as well as Lanco's own journey to getting a record deal. They spoke of days long ago when they slept on couches and split pizzas, joking that, now, their biggest problem is their pontoon boat's engine acting up. While things are changing for them, they've had to learn to find time to be creative while out on the road or backstage, and write songs to which their fanbase can relate.
"I think, with any song, you want to think of an idea that a lot of people can relate to that you can also relate to strongly. It kind of met those two qualifications," Lancaster says. "Yeah, it’s a summer anthem, but it also was just a good introduction to the next chapter of what we wanna do."
That next chapter is one of even more thoughtful songwriting and recording. Instead of taking the easy way out, the band struck a balance when going into the studio to record their new single.
"It really is this process of, 'Okay, what is this song saying, and what’s the attitude we can give it?' Music speaks as much as lyrics speak. What’s the music behind the lyric that will really give it this attitude that it’s trying to convey?" Lancaster explains. "It’s one of those songs that, it feels like kind of a no-brainer when we get into the studio, but to actually make that come to life and to bring this big, kind of anthemic thing that people can rally around."
The spirit in "Rival" sends a clear message: Lanco aren't going to back down. They have a strong vision for what's ahead, and this song couldn't be more perfect for making a statement moving forward.
"This idea of, you rumble, you roar -- there’s a lot of statements: If you don’t like it, you can shut your mouth. There’s all these moments where it’s, all right, this has to be believable," Lancaster says. "You really, you gotta believe it, and the music has to sound believable behind it."
Lanco were recently featured as one of the 2019 Country Radio Seminar's New Faces of Country Music and are nominated for two 2019 ACM Awards. They've collaborated with Brooks & Dunn for a track on the iconic country duo's upcoming Reboot album and are currently on tour with Luke Combs.
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