Alt Pop Duo Loyals Share "She Hates Me" — LISTEN // Announce EP

Alt pop duo LOYALS Dane Allen and Andrew Gomez — have announced their new EP, titled Love Me Bad. It arrives on October 18 via Tooth & Nail Records. Pre-order it here.

Today, the pair has shared the visualizer for new single "She Hates Me." Watch it below.

"I remember having the idea for 'She Hates Me' while I was doing dishes a few years ago," says Allen." It was one of those ideas that just popped into my head out of nowhere. I was in a particularly dry season of song ideas, and it was the first idea I had in a long time. When I presented it to Gomey and Cameron, everyone's creativity just popped off in the studio and it flowed effortlessly. It's very different than anything we've done so far in Loyals. Everything from the chord progression to the vocal just feels different for us. It's a unique vibe."

LOYALS released their self-titled debut in 2018, followed by two singles in 2019, and then COVID-19 shut the world down. Indeed, "Up All Night" serves as a comeback single, introducing an evolution in the band's sound, while also leaning into the deep-rooted foundations of who LOYALS are. The track is structurally built around a singular guitar riff, before exploding into a kinetic chorus filled with the pop-centric melodies and hooks the pair is known for.

"Look, we just write pop songs that make us feel things," says Allen, explaining the motive behind his alternative/pop group. "We aren't congealed with this big message. Obviously, we can change our minds down the road, but that's not who we are now."

The band's lack of pretense is as refreshing as it is uncommon, its self-assuredness a most likely side effect of the years they've spent playing together. "We met when we were teenagers," explains Allen of fellow bandmate Gomez. "We've stuck with each other ever since." 

Their nearly two-decade-long friendship not only earned LOYALS their moniker, but through practice and experimentation, aided in the cultivation of a pop group that contributes mightily to the genre.