Platinum-selling indie trio Wild Rivers, Khalid Yassein [guitar, vocals, keys], Devan Glover [vocals], and Andrew Oliver [lead guitar, synths], have a gift for penning introspective lyrics and genre-fluid melodies that transmit wisdom beyond their years. That expertise can be found across their new album, Better Now (out October 18)—a companion to their latest record, Never Better, released this past July.
Recorded at the same time in Joshua Tree, CA with producer Gabe Wax (known for his work with artists such as Soccer Mommy and Adrienne Lenker), both Never Better and Better Now are filled with the band’s “inventive melodies, rich harmonies, and lush instrumentals” (Associated Press) and reflect their personal and creative growth the past few years, as they’ve faced burnout, mental health challenges and the complicated, confusing and unknown realities of life in their twenties.
“On the first record, the songs contain raw, absolute and instinctual feelings,” Wild Rivers shares. “In many ways, Better Now is the afterglow of this. We’re reflecting and understanding that relationships change over time. Complicated situations can be just that, complicated. Feelings can remain unresolved. If the first record is bright and bold, this one is the softer gradients in between; the sunrises and the sunsets. Both projects make up the full spectrum of who we are.”
“Finishing Better Now, we really felt that it was the close of a massive musical and personal chapter,” the group continues. “It’s bittersweet but so meaningful to be able to chronicle our lives between these projects. Ultimately, we are optimistic; ‘better now,’ after the ups and downs of the relationships and turbulence of our twenties. Hopefully we’re wiser for it.”
Born in Canada, Khalid, who is half-Egyptian, and Devan, who spent her childhood in London, England, before returning to Canada, first connected at Queen’s University in Kingston in 2013. Starting out as an acoustic singer-songwriter project, Khalid and Devan expanded their aesthetic to a more full-bodied sound, adding multi-instrumentalist Andrew, whom Khalid calls their “Swiss army knife.”
Sonically, Wild Rivers pull from a spectrum of sounds, imbuing pop, rock, indie, and folk into each song’s blueprint. Devan explains, "We all converge on the classic songwriters. Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles and Elton John. Then today, we have influences across the map, indie, hip hop, R&B, and pop. But even in those genres, most of those artists are referencing another era of music, which we think is really cool. We like to pull our favorite parts of every genre and patch them together and see what works and see what feels good.”
Since their 2016 debut, Wild Rivers has released three albums including 2022’s Sidelines, which landed at #9 on the U.S. Spotify Debut Album Chart. Released to critical acclaim, Under The Radar praised, “expertly straddles the lines between folk and indie, offering an empathetic and enveloping comfort and a piece of poignant pop beauty,” while American Songwriter declared, “Soul-stirring…rich male/female harmonies bring the emotional lyrics to life.” Following the release of Sidelines, Wild Rivers was nominated for Breakthrough Group of The Year at the 2023 JUNO Awards, saw their breakout single, “Thinking ‘Bout Love,” certified Gold in the United States and Australia and Platinum in Canada, and garnered over 850 million global streams. The group also spent much of their career touring across the world including countless headline shows as well as dates supporting artists such as The Chicks and Noah Kahan. Known for their engaging live performances, Wild Rivers will continue to tour through this fall with their international headline tour, which includes sold-out shows in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Dublin, Denver, Atlanta, and more.
