The Rions On Tour…
In support of their brand new EP Happiness In A Place It Shouldn’t Be which is out now, The Rions have started their huge 21-date Happiness In Places Australian tour which includes festival appearances at Beyond The Valley, Lost Paradise and more. The Rions have had a massive 2024 and we asked Harley Wilson how will they top this year in 2025.
Happiness In A Place It Shouldn’t Be EP has been out for a month, have you been stoked with how it has been received?
Beyond stoked! The tour has only just started, but if people knowing the lyrics to songs we’ve just released in rural North Queensland (somewhere we’ve never played before) is any indication of our songs connecting, then we’re very happy.
Sonically, how would you compare this EP to the Minivan EP?
Sonically I’d say Happiness in a Place it Shouldn’t Be is a natural evolution in comparison to Minivan. The sound is pushed further. Sometimes I like to think of our body of music like our child. When it began it was just a baby, and by the time it got to Minivan it was a teenager, experiencing everything we were experiencing as a collective. Sonically I think it’s experienced more life. It’s been sharpened and weathered by adversity and is even more honest than our previous bodies of work.
Were you tempted to keep going and record a full length album?
Haha good question. We’re always tempted to do more than we ever have time for if that makes sense.
Did everything go to plan in the studio?
It went to plan and then some. It’s always a pleasure to operate in our producers’ space, allowing any and all ideas to come to fruition.
What is the biggest lesson learnt from being in the studio?
Keep your phone on silent! And keep it off when possible. It’s easy to be distracted, especially due to the large stretches of time in the studio when the producer is pulling it together where you have nothing to do. Just try to stay in the creative flow as much as you can.
Have you continued writing new songs for whatever is next?
We’re always writing, and always living, keeping a keen eye on good stories we can tell.
Playing bigger venues on this tour must be really exciting?
It’s been exciting every tour. From our first venues like Waywards in Sydney and Black Bear lodge in Brisbane a couple years ago, making our way to Roundhouse and The Princess Theatre. Our minds never cease to be blown by the demand of our fans. So excited and so grateful.
Do you think your single Time Will Try sums up the journey to date for the four of you?
Lyrically no. Time Will Try is more of a hypothetical. “What if somewhere along the line we lost each other and lost what we share” is the idea. But sonically I think it represents our sentimentality we share about each other and our career for sure.
What has been the most memorable moment for the band this year?
A big highlight for me [Harley] is when Daniel Riccardo used Minivan on one of his Instagram posts, one of the most surreal things to ever happen to us! Especially while Tom and I were getting heavily into F1.
How do you think you will top 2024?
If 2025 is anything like the last few years, and we continue to be as lucky as we’ve been, it’ll only be bigger, better and louder next year. Anything on top of that is a bonus.
What are your three favourite albums released this year?
- Wunderhorses “Midas”
- Lizzy Mcalpines “Older (and wiser)”
- Mk.gee’s “Two Star and the Dream Police”
Interview By Rob Lyon
Catch The Rions on the following tour dates, tickets HERE…
