Ones2Watch Home

Riovaz, Jersey City’s most exciting export of genre-eschewing underground hits, is only getting better with every go. His latest single “Lavender Town” meets hyperpop with crippling nostalgia, wielding the vintage Pokémon graveyard to embody the mourning of a lost love.

“I don’t wanna stay / I just wanna leave," muses our lovesick hero. Amid a sonic whirlwind, Riovaz is haunted by the demise of a once lover. “Lavender Town,” a village in the original Pokémon games, is a burial ground inhabited by Ghost-type Pokémon. Bleak and unsettling, it fittingly encompasses how loud a sudden absence can be, intangible and evasive. It’s a play only he could pull off so seamlessly, but it’s this exact specificity of artistic wit that got him named one of Billboard’s “21 under 21.”

His stormy inner conflict contrasts the vibrant and atmospheric pulse of “Lavender Town,” as he navigates themes of loss over hypnotic synths. Riovaz continues to experiment with the fusion of genre, evolving musically like a Pokémon himself. The single will surely serve as a standout during his national 'God Is A DJ tour,' kicking off in October this year.

A beacon of hope for those wanting to alchemize torture into art, Riovaz digs through his own carnage and bears all for the world to watch, and the world is certainly watching. With momentum that’s only building, Riovaz knows he’s exactly where he’s supposed to be. “This is my calling,” he proclaims. “There's no way I’m doing anything else.”

Watch the "Lavender Town" video below: