Dark pop-rock powerhouse RIVALS have had a busy year so far. In addition to their current cross-country tour with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, the band dropped their debut full-length album, Damned Soul, in February via Smartpunk Records. The 10-track banger, produced by John Espy (Red Jumpsuit Apparatus) and Aaron Edwards (Sick Puppies, Elohim, The Cab) with additional writing for drums and mixing/mastering by Cody Stewart (The Browning, Rings of Saturn, Falsifier), was released to great acclaim and has been streamed over 640k times on Spotify in just under three months. Today, RIVALS has partnered with Billboard to premiere the music video for the album’s title track, “Damned Soul.” The song discusses what it’s like to put your faith into the wrong person and then watch them walk over everything you tried to do. On the track,vocalist Kalie Wolfe shares:
When I was writing this song , everyone and everything was crumbling around me. I aimed for this feeling of desperation and loneliness that I was breathing in at that time, begging for any amount of help but getting left in the dust. I wanted so badly to just feel the smallest amount of happiness, to feel like I belong somewhere, to someone or something. DamnedSoul was written for the lonely and the empty.” – Kalie Wolfe
RIVALS is a dark pop-rock band from Los Angeles, CA formed in 2014 by vocalist Kalie Wolfe, bassist Sebastian Chamberlain, guitarist Micket Woodle, and drummer Josh Alves. Driven by Wolfe’s powerhouse vocals and the band’s infectious yet raw sound, RIVALS is fueled by powerful and energetic songwriting, bringing forth a type of fearlessness in their music that stands out among the rest. Since the release of their debut EP in 2015, titled Haunted/Hunted, the band has been making waves and for good reason. Revered by many on their live performance, RIVALS has previously toured the country with bands like Story Untold, Uh Huh Baby Yeah!, and Best Kept Secret, in addition to sharing a lineup with acts like Assuming We Survive, The Word Alive, and Oceans Ate Alaska on the 2014 Vans Warped Tour. The band’s impressive live performances also led to partnerships with MEE Audio, D’Addario, SJC Drums and TRX Cymbals. In 2016, RIVALS gained mass attention with their unique take on twenty one pilots? track, “Heathens,” which has garnered over 375,000 plays on Youtube and over 300,000 streams on Spotify. The band released their highly anticipated debut full-length LP, Damned Soul, in February of 2018 via SmartPunk Records. RIVALS is currently on a cross-country tour with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus through August.
Head on over to Billboard to watch the music video for “Damned Soul.” RIVALS’ debut album, Damned Soul, is out now via Smartpunk Records and can be purchased here. Catch the band on The Awakening Tour with The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, info below. To stay up to date, be sure to follow the band on Facebook.
Tour Dates:
5/31/18 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater*
6/5/18 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex (Emo Nite LA)*
7/12/18 – Lakewood, OH @ The Foundry Concert Club
7/13/18 – Columbus, OH @ Skully’s Music Diner
7/14/18 – Grand Rapids, MI @ The Stache at The Intersection
7/15/18 – Detroit, MI @ The Shelter
7/19/18 – New York City, NY @ SOBs
7/20/18 – Bath, NY @ Steuben County Fair
7/21/18 – Stanhope, NJ @ Stanhope House
7/22/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage Lounge
7/26/18 – Richmond, VA @ Canal Club
7/27/18 – Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero
7/28/18 – Nashville, TN @ Rocketown
7/29/18 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
8/04/18 – Easton, PA @ One Centre Square
8/05/18 – Harrisonburg, VA @ The Golden Pony
*RIVALS only
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Jason Price founded the mighty Icon Vs. Icon more than a decade ago. Along the way, he’s assembled an amazing group of like-minded individuals to spread the word on some of the most unique people and projects on the pop culture landscape.
