With so much innovation happening in the music industry over the past several years, it might behoove us to remember one timeless piece of advice from our side-view mirrors: objects are closer than they appear. That is to say, between all the new genres and technologies, it’s easy to forget that rock acts like Green Day and Avril Lavigne were charting huge hits just a decade ago. While some artists left behind the pop-punk and rock sounds that defined the late ‘00s, others have continued to carry the torch, reimagining the genre for new audiences. One great example of this is Texan rock outfit RoZY, who put out an anthemic single in September entitled “Pretty Little Lies.”
Videos by American Songwriter
“This song definitely has the pop-punk vibes due to the music I’d listen to during my high school years,” primary songwriter, Zoe Flores, told American Songwriter. “I think it’s cool to bring people back to that time period for three minutes.” With a driving backbeat, the song rises from stripped-down verses to euphoric, ready-for-Kelly-Clarkson choruses, instilling the listener with a sense of the heartache that Flores went through when she wrote it.
“I was in a relationship that was full of gas-lighting, mental abuse and an overall toxicity, on-and-off for years,” Flores said. “My family worried about me constantly and tried to convince me to move on because they knew I deserved better. One day, I had a moment of clarity and realized that I did deserve better. So, I did what my mom had told me to do all those years ago: ‘If you ever feel like you can’t talk to your father and I, write it down and let it all out so you can let it go.’”
From there, Flores got busy writing. While she knew that she couldn’t confront her partner head-on (“the response would NOT be pleasant”), she ruminated on her feelings and ultimately manifested “Pretty Little Lies,” which helped her realize her self-value.
“I did just as I said in the song,” Flores said, “I told him: ‘I’m no good for you.’ I released those bottled up emotions and grew past that vicious environment. Now, I play and perform that song to help all the other people who are going through a rough relationship with either a partner, parent, sibling or even a toxic friendship. I want to help them look past their own ‘pretty little lies.’ I want whoever is listening to know that they are not alone. You are a valuable human and deserve the best in life.”
Watch the music video for “Pretty Little Lies” by RoZY below:
