When Wild Rivers decided to record their most recent albums in a barn in the desert, they expected isolation.
What they got was a resident cricket, questionable electrical setups, and the kind of magic that only happens when you stop trying to be perfect.The 2024 twin records that arose from their makeshift desert recording studio – 'Better Now' and 'Never Better' – make you feel like you're tucked up on the barn porch with them, wrapped up in a blanket while they bare their souls.
There's something supremely relaxing and intimate about the whole vibe; and according to lead guitarist Andrew Oliver, it all flowed from one simple decision. "Up until these last two albums, we'd taken a very perfectionistic approach," he explains.
"The second album [2022's 'Sidelines'] we took almost two years to record and edit and tweak, but we realised that a lot of the music we really love is recorded in a shorter amount of time." So the band set themselves a challenge: three weeks to record, no exceptions. "Whatever it is, it is that."
With just three weeks to make it all happen, they knew they needed a special recording setup; one that felt less like work and more like home. So they decided to get creative. "During 'Sidelines', the record before these two, we spent two years going to different studios.
"It was an awesome experience, but by the end, it felt like work," Andy says. "We all started making music in our parents' basements with our high school friends, just laughing and having fun. So we thought, 'how do we make this process more like that?'"
Their solution was a barn in Joshua Tree, surrounded by mountains and not a whole lot else. "Just cactuses and tumbleweeds – like a cartoon," Andy says with a laugh.
Their producer, Gabe Wax, was between studios, with his gear "just floating around". So they packed it all up and brought it out to the barn. The gear was top-notch, but according to Andy, "the setup was very makeshift – we were running power from the kitchen sink to the mixing desk".
They had to do a lot of "janky makeshift recording things" to get their desert rig running. This included ditching the traditional recording booth setup, instead spreading across four bedrooms with open doors so they could see each other.
"After doing so many shows together, we get so much energy from performing next to each other, being able to look at each other and smile or laugh," Andy says. "We were wearing stupid hats while recording and trying to make it as goofy as possible." They even gained an unexpected band member: a cricket that took up residence on their hard drive for three days, becoming their unofficial mascot.
Though they loved their improvised rig, accepting imperfection wasn't always easy. "When one of us records something, our ego makes us want to make our part perfect. If it's a guitar part and it's a little off, I'll be like, 'aargh, no, I have a better one in me'. But the rest of the band will say, 'no, that's the one. It's not perfect, but it's real.'"
This focus on realness over perfection had a profound effect on the music. Both records cut straight to the bone with their honesty, sinking deeper than the usual love-and-loss territory and settling into those painfully relatable moments that make you go, 'oh damn, same'.
Whether it's watering plants without your ex for the first time, or your phone's sadistic habit of showing you how happy you once were with them, even if you haven't had that exact experience, you've felt something close enough that it gets you singing along like the lyrics are your own.
"The more specific we get, the more it relates to other people, which we wouldn't have expected at first," Andy reflects. "When you base it in a real story, it's so cool to see that it applies to other people's specific situations. The more clearly painted the situation is, the more you can feel like you're in it when you're listening."
After creating such deeply personal music out in the desert, the band felt drawn back to capture its visual essence too. So they returned to Joshua Tree five months later to film their videos and shoot their album cover. "During recording, it felt like such a specific visual world around us.
"Most of our favourite albums have a really cohesive visual world around them as well. Going back felt like returning to camp. It was the most fun we had while recording, and I think it did what we were wanting to do," Andy reflects. "We're just starting to chat about what the next album could look like, but I'm sure we'll make some kinda trip out of it. It's a good excuse for us to go somewhere cool as well!"
Now, as Wild Rivers prepares for their first Australian tour, they're bringing that same energy to their live shows. "I think people will be a little surprised. We use the live shows as an opportunity to explore our more energetic side. It's a little rockier, more of a party atmosphere than our emo music might suggest," Andy says with a cheeky grin.
"We try to take people on a ride and have it be very dynamic, balancing the chill moments with big-rock energy. Be prepared to dance a little, be prepared to maybe get a little sad, but also our singers, Dev and Khal, are funnier than people assume."
The band had a huge 2024 leading up to this tour, recently opening for The Chicks in arenas and having the surreal experience of seeing giant versions of themselves on billboards. "We all have a bit of imposter syndrome," Andy admits, "but we're also super ambitious, and we all hoped that this would happen one day. It's validating and gives us juice to keep building this thing as big as we can get it."
Now all they have to do is convince themselves this wild ride really counts as adulting. "We're entering more serious adulthood with a job that doesn't seem like it should be for adults," Andy says with a chuckle, "but we're figuring out how to do it right and how to have balance. It took a bunch of years of not figuring that stuff out to figure it out, but it feels like we're in a good place now."
Wild Rivers 2025 Tour Dates
Wed 19 Mar - The Triffid (Brisbane)* sold outFri 21 Mar - Prince Bandroom (Melbourne)* sold out
Sat 22 Mar - Manning Bar (Sydney)* sold out
Sun 23 Mar - Manning Bar (Sydney)
