Rene Lopez has always done things his own way, and with “Goin Back To Lovin’”, he proves once again why he’s one of New York’s most compelling storytellers.

Out today, the single is a gut level confession wrapped in grooves that fuse outlaw country, Latin soul and rock & roll. It’s the soundtrack of a Bronx-born musician who’s lived a thousand lives in one city.

Listen here:

“Goin Back To Lovin’” is the kind of song that stays with you before you even realize it. Lopez confronts the wreckage of his own mistakes – the burned bridges, the bad decisions and the late-night regrets. And he turns it into a story of survival.

The song’s instrumentation mirrors that journey perfectly: gritty yet warm, streetwise but soulful with every beat carrying the push and pull of someone clawing their way back to themselves. The vocals are confessional, like he’s singing directly to you in a smoky corner of a Bronx dive bar, and by the end you are feeling it, experiencing it and breathing it.

If you don’t know Lopez’s story, here’s the gist. He grew up steeped in music. His dad, René López Sr., played trumpet with Ray Barretto and Tipica ’73 and carved his own path, Lopez inherited a love of rhythm and melody that pulses through everything he creates. But his path has never been about simply preserving tradition. Instead, he builds from it – fusing the old-school with street-corner honesty, and emotional storytelling.

NPR’s Alt. Latino called him a “one-man song factory,” which feels about right when you hear the range he commands, moving effortlessly between bolero, cha-cha, funk, folk and doo-wop. But what makes Lopez truly magnetic is his authenticity. He wears his scars, his humor and his joy very much on his sleeve.

This track is a cornerstone of his forthcoming album, A New York Lie, and it sets the tone for a record that promises to be unflinching as well as deeply human.

With twelve songs born from heartbreak, redemption and the long, jagged road of self-reinvention, this album is a portrait of Lopez as both artist and survivor. He doesn’t sugarcoat the city or the struggles, but he does manage to find grace in the chaos and somehow makes it sound effortless.

Connect with Rene Lopez:

Website / Instagram / Spotify / Apple Music