Hot off their recent signing to Sony Music Publishing, The Rions today unveil their feverishly anticipated debut EP, Minivan. They celebrate the release with the announcement of their upcoming national tour, presented by triple j, from late September to November.
Sat 26 Aug – The Station – Ngarigo Land / Jindabyne
Fri 29 Sep – Dee Why RSL – Dharug Land / Dee Why
Sat 30 Sep – King St Bandroom – Awabakal Land / Newcastle
Fri 6 Oct – Torquay Hotel – Wadawurrung Land / Torquary
Sat 7 Oct – Grapevine Gathering – Wurundjeri Land / Coldstream
Sat 8 Oct – Grapevine Gathering – Noonucal, Gorenpul, Nughi Land / Mount Cotton
Sat 14 Oct – Grapevine Gathering – Whadjuk Land / Caversham
Sat 14 – Sun 15 Oct – Yours & Owls – Dharawal Land / Wollongong
Fri 20 Oct – Drifter’s Wharf – Darkinjung Land / Gosford
Sat 21 Oct – Grapevine Gathering – Wonnarua Land / Pokolbin
Sun 22 Oct – Grapevine Gathering – Kaurna Land / McLaren Vale
Fri 27 Oct – Corner Hotel – Naarm / Melbourne
Sat 28 Oct – Pelly Bar – Bunurong Land / Frankston
Sun 29 Oct – The Gasometer Hotel – Naarm / Melbourne (AA)
Fri 3 Nov – Lion Arts Factory – tarntanya / Adelaide (LIC/AA)
Sat 4 Nov – Jack Rabbit Slims – Boorloo / Perth
Thu 9 Nov – Solbar – Kabi Kabi Land / Maroochydore
Fri 10 Nov – The Northern – Arakwal Land / Byron Bay
Sat 11 Nov – Burleigh Bazaar – Kombumerri Land / Burleigh Heads
Sat 18 Nov – The Zoo – Meanjin / Brisbane
Sun 19 Nov – Mary’s Underground – Eora / Sydney (LIC/AA)
Fri 24 Nov – Oxford Art Factory – Eora / Sydney
Sat 25 Nov – Volta – Wadawurrung, Dja Dja Wurrung Land / Ballarat
Sun 26 Nov – Republic Bar – nipaluna / Hobart
Produced and recorded in close collaboration with Chris Collins (Matt Corby, Skegss, Middle Kids), Minivan sees The Rions make sense of the noise happening around them in real-time. Weaving their own dreamcatcher for listeners, a protective vessel for solace and community from the big brothers who’ve already gone through it with an innate maturity and musicality that has built the group a loyal fanbase and gone on to sell out national tours in the time since their Unearthed High win. While on their titular release ‘Anakin’ (#64 in triple j’s Hottest 100), they might not have felt like enough in the face of destiny, Minivan quells any doubt on The Rions’ blooming trajectory.
Elated by the release of their debut EP, The Rions share “We’ve been looking forward to this day for a couple years now. An EP is something we’ve been wanting to create for a very long time and to finally reveal it to everyone is a huge deal for us. We hope that the story of Minivan (EP) resonates with our fans the way it does with us.”
Like most coming-of-age projects, Minivan too rolls through the motions of finding yourself, grief and heartbreak, delving deeper than ever before compared to their earlier work ‘Sadie’ or ‘Dissociation’. Less so of the peaks and pits of love in all its forms, but a thorough excavation of the youthful effervescence of that torpedo period between life’s most pivotal stage: attempting to understand adulthood. Including new tracks ‘Talking To Walls’, the fork in the road that triggers self-reflection in a time of crisis; ‘Got My Hopes Up’, where the reality of needing to move on from a faulty relationship despite all efforts to continue, is gut-wrenchingly apparent; and ‘Take What You Want’ as the catalyst of heartbreak for change.
Of the latter they explain, “With time, heartbreak can turn into many things. It can be channelled into powerful emotions and in this song’s case, bitterness and regret are the outcome of said heartbreak. The chorus retrospectively and confidently recognising the problems that the love they used to share caused them. The song is meant to feel like you’re joining arm in arm with the people who have your back, and healing through admitting what the problems were.”
Connecting their recent string of releases, ‘Scary Movies’ and the title-track, both supported by triple j playlisting and consistent placement as the most played releases on the station, amongst praise across the ABC: triple j, Unearthed and RAGE, MTV, Music Feeds, Life Without Andy, and more broadly, back-to-back Hottest 100 entries, tours supporting Lime Cordiale, Boy & Bear, Pacific Avenue, festival appearances at SPIN OFF, Party In The Paddock, Festival of the Sun amongst upcoming appearances at Grapevine The Gathering, Yours & Owls and more.
With fans already singing their songs louder than their own microphones, experience The Rions live this September – November.