Just three months after the release of their acclaimed album Never Better, platinum-selling trio Wild Rivers—Khalid Yassein, Devan Glover, and Andrew Oliver—will return with a new companion album, Better Now, on October 18 via Nettwerk Music Group (pre-order/pre-save available here). Ahead of the release, their new track, "What Kind of Song," debuts today. Listen/share HERE.
Regarding the song, the band shares, “The idea behind the song is a meta question: ‘When you sing this song in a few years, will it be a love song or a breakup song? Will you be missing them and the relationship you once had, or missing them when you’re still together but they aren’t home from work yet?’ There are two very different ways it could go.”
Produced by Wild Rivers and Gabe Wax (Soccer Mommy, Adrienne Lenker), Better Now consists of eight tracks that complement Never Better. The group dives deeper into the complicated, confusing, and unknown realities of life in their twenties and the personal growth they’ve experienced through it all.
Of the new project, Wild Rivers shares, “Better Now is our companion record, and the other side to Never Better. On the first record, the songs express raw, absolute, and instinctual feelings. In many ways, Better Now is the afterglow of that. We’re reflecting and coming to understand that relationships change over time. Complicated situations can simply be complicated, and feelings can remain unresolved. If the first record is bright and bold, this one represents the softer gradients in between: the sunrises and sunsets. Together, both projects make up the full spectrum of who we are. Better Now is just the moodier, more misunderstood one. Musically, the records really are twins. We wrote all the songs around the same time. Finishing Better Now felt like closing a massive musical and personal chapter. It’s bittersweet, but it’s meaningful to be able to chronicle our lives between these projects. Ultimately, we’re optimistic—‘better now’ after the ups and downs of relationships and the turbulence of our twenties. Hopefully, we’re wiser for it.”
Since its release this past July, Never Better has continued to garner widespread attention from fans and critics alike. The Associated Press praised its “poignant lyrics and elegant harmonies…it would be hard to find a band with more complementary voices working on each other’s behalf.” Additionally, Consequence declared, “This trio knocked it out of the park with their new album…inventive melodies, rich harmonies, and lush instrumentals abound,” while Rolling Stone Germany proclaimed, “The core of the band—a celestial and open-hearted romance—remains intact. A standout track is ‘Everywhere I Go,’ with its groovy, earthy sound and irresistibly catchy refrain, perfectly capturing the essence of the band.”
In celebration of the new music, Wild Rivers will perform on CBS Saturday Morning tomorrow, September 7, as part of their “Saturday Sessions” series. The band will continue their international headline tour through the fall, with upcoming stops including Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, Los Angeles’ Fonda Theater (sold out), Boston’s Paradise Rock Club (sold out), Austin’s Scoot Inn (sold out), Chicago’s Vic Theater (sold out), Denver’s Ogden Theater (sold out), Seattle’s The Showbox, and San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom, among many others. See below for the complete tour itinerary. Full details can be found at www.wildriversmusic.com/tour.
Formed during their time at Queen’s University in Ontario, Wild Rivers has released three albums to date, including 2022’s Sidelines, which landed at #9 on the U.S. Spotify Debut Album Chart. Released to critical acclaim, Under The Radar praised it for how it “expertly straddles the lines between folk and indie, offering 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 has spent much of their career touring globally, playing countless headline shows as well as dates supporting artists such as The Chicks and Noah Kahan.
BETTER NOW TRACK LIST
1. What Kind of Song
2. Settle Down
3. Freezing
4. I Want Everything
5. I Will If You Will
6. What If It’s Us
7. Simp Song
8. Still the One
WILD RIVERS CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
September 7—Boston, MA—Paradise Rock Club* (SOLD OUT)
September 9—Washington, D.C.—Lincoln Theater* (SOLD OUT)
September 10—Charlotte, NC—The Underground* (SOLD OUT)
September 11—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium*
September 15—Dallas, TX—The Studio at The Factory*
September 16—Austin, TX—Scoot Inn* (SOLD OUT)
September 17—Houston, TX—Heights Theater*
September 19—Atlanta, GA—Variety Playhouse* (SOLD OUT)
September 21—Louisville, KY—Bourbon & Beyond
September 22—Chicago, IL—Vic Theater+ (SOLD OUT)
September 23—Minneapolis, MN—First Avenue+
September 25—Milwaukee, WI—Turner Hall Ballroom+
September 26—St. Louis, MO—Delmar Hall+
September 28—Kansas City, MO—The Truman+
September 30—Denver, CO—Ogden Theater+ (SOLD OUT)
October 1—Boulder, CO—Boulder Theater+
October 2—Salt Lake City, UT—The Complex+
October 4—Portland, OR—Revolution Hall+ (SOLD OUT)
October 6—Seattle, WA—The Showbox+
October 7—Vancouver, BC—The Orpheum+
October 9—San Francisco, CA—Regency Ballroom+
October 11—Los Angeles, CA—The Fonda Theater+ (SOLD OUT)
October 12—San Diego, CA—The Observatory North+ (SOLD OUT)
November 2—Groningen, Netherlands—Take Root
November 4—Berlin, Germany—Hole44#
November 6—Cologne, Germany—Die Kantine#
November 8—Zurich, Switzerland—Plaza#
November 10—Paris, France—La Maroquinerie#
November 13—Glasgow, Scotland—QMU#
November 15—Dublin, Ireland—Button Factory# (SOLD OUT)
November 17—Bristol, U.K.—SWX#
November 19—London, U.K.—O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire#
November 22—Manchester, U.K.—Manchester Academy#
November 24—Birmingham, U.K.—O2 Institute#
November 26—Leeds, U.K.—Project House#
November 27—Cardiff, U.K.—Tramshed#
December 6—Toronto, ON—History (SOLD OUT)
*with special guest Jade Bird
+with special guest Lily Meola
#with special guest Riley Pearce
