Having wowed both fans and critics and earned themselves rave reviews from the likes of Billboard and Alt Press for their debut album Damned Soul, dark pop outfit RIVALS, who hail from Los Angeles, are gearing up to drop their sophomore record ‘Sad Looks Pretty on Me’ on March 19^th. Before that though, they’re showcasing their more pop-rock sound via latest single “Strawberries”, the video for which PopWrapped are delighted to premiere.

The track blends the sound, energy and pop-prowess of hits from bands like Paramore and artists like Dua Lipa, and the song also has a very personal story behind it, with the band explaining: “Strawberries” is a song about Kalie’s past addictions with drugs and alcohol and how she found happiness, which turned into healing past those issues. The song was an oddball out on the album; it’s the only song in a major key and the only song that has a very happy feeling while also being about one of the most serious topics on the entire record. Micket wrote the song at home to a Latin-styled beat which gave it this extremely uplifting feeling while also still feeling like RIVALS. “

They go onto add: “In the studio it was a very different vibe for us, we all sat around just so confused about how amazing the song was sounding even though it was so different than our normal style, but we just rolled with it and we’re so glad we did.” When asked to choose their favourite lyric for the song, they go with ‘Happy is temporary but I can’t look back’, calling on all fans and those who hear the track to, in the spirit of the lyric, “Keep moving forward and don’t look back!”

Check out the video for “Strawberries” below and for more information on RIVALS, visit their website, give their page a like on Facebook or follow them on Twitter and Instagram.