Indie trio Wild Rivers have made a big impact in the space of just one album and two EPs. Drawing upon elements of pop, rock, indie and folk, they craft tracks which are rich with evocative emotions and classic songwriting. It’s a flair that’s naturally connecting with audiences. They’ve accumulated over 200 million global streams, including 30 million+ for the songs ‘Wandering Child’, ‘Amsterdam’ and ‘Thinking ‘Bout Love’, leading to more than 2 million monthly listeners at Spotify.

Wild Rivers share their brand new single ‘Neon Stars’ as they prepare to release their second album ‘Sidelines’, which will be out on February 4th via Nettwerk.

LISTEN HERE 

‘Neon Stars’ was written by Wild Rivers’ Khalid Yassein with celebrated Nashville singer-songwriter Caitlyn Smith, whose credits include Miley Cyrus, Meghan Trainor and FLETCHER. The result is a stripped-down, contemplative song that romanticises a carefree love from the past through the lens of the more complicated present. The band’s beautifully blissful vocal harmonies capture the yearning for something that has long since passed: “You were sleeping I was tracing / Every part of you a constellation / I knew you / But I was terrified.” 

Khalid Yassein (guitar, vocals, keys) says, “Caitlyn is one of those people where you can tell that she was born to write songs. I had this idea that I couldn’t figure out for a long time, and after showing it to her, within a minute she figured out the puzzle like it was nothing. Songwriters that have that magic and humility are a rare breed. Not to mention it was pretty special to hear her voice sing it in the room.”

The song’s accompanying video imagines the song in the context of a sparsely attended open mic night. An older man performs to a near empty room, although at least one woman is paying attention. The three members of Wild Rivers also appear in small roles. Vocalist Devan Glover steals a shot of vodka from the bar for Dutch courage as she’s next on www.Andrew Oliver (lead guitar, synths) plays a barman with his own less-than-admirable plan, while Khalid Yassein appears as the bar’s only other customer.

‘Neon Stars’ will feature on the ‘Sidelines’ album alongside Wild Rivers’ recent singles which include ‘Better When We’re Falling Apart’ and ‘Amsterdam’. ‘Sidelines’ is where Wild Rivers poured their collective impressions about merging into their mid-20s, a strange, transitional age where it’s easy to romanticize childhood.

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