For the Valentine’s Day cynics in need of anything but a saccharine love song, Rina Sawayama is a hero. “Valentine (What’s It Gonna Be)” is her debut release on 88rising, and pulls from the same bag of tricks Clarence Clarity used while producing her debut album RINA. The song features bombastic electric guitars, sleek, high-sheen 90’s influenced pop, and a chorus that begs you to shout along. On Instagram, Sawayama explained her inspiration for the track: “I hate Valentines so I wrote a song with @clarenceclarity about toying with love- hope it gives u empowerment from the shackles of heteronormative commercialisation of dating.”
Listen to the track below.
