Hear LANco’s Killers-Influenced New Song ‘Long Live Tonight’

The bombastic, shout-along pop sound of bands like Imagine Dragons has undeniably infiltrated country music, with both new artists and established vets working in the palette. For their debut single “Long Live Tonight,” up-and-coming band LANCo dive headlong into that modern-rock vibe.

One of Rolling Stone Country‘s Artists You Need to Know, LANco and their anthemic new song nod to groups that mix rock, New Wave and dance into a radio-ready wall of sound.

“That’s a huge part of our influences as a band, and what makes it pretty special. We borrow a lot of influence from modern rock bands like Kings of Leon or the Killers,” says Brandon Lancaster, the singer of the group, whose last name also gives them their moniker. He describes “Long Live Tonight” as “anthemic.”

“‘Long Live Tonight’ is a really fun one. So much of what we do centers around playing live and putting on larger-than-life shows,” Lancaster tells Rolling Stone Country. “It’s rallying around the idea that. . . the world we’re living in is a pretty crazy place. We’re bombarded with information and a lot of it is negative. So when we play live, it’s important to take a step back and find the person that you love and live in the moment.”

“Long Live Tonight,” which evokes Lady Antebellum’s “We Owned the Night” in its chorus, was produced by Jay Joyce, who has helped artists from Eric Church to Little Big Town stretch the boundaries of country music.

“Country music is in such a cool and fascinating and interesting place,” says Lancaster. “You can see so many different styles today, because if people like it, they’ll listen to it. It’s speaking to them. They won’t follow some rule of a genre.”