The Rions discuss their most authentic EP yet, touring Australia, and the journey from high school talent shows to indie stardom.

Sydney-based indie band The Rions have swiftly emerged as one of Australia's most promising musical acts, blending elements of rock, pop, R&B, and folk into their unique sound. With a rapidly growing fanbase and over 30 million streams worldwide, the quartet has captured hearts with their authentic storytelling and emotional resonance. In this candid Q&A, the band discusses the creative process behind their new EP, the emotional depth of their latest single "Time Will Try" and the excitement of sharing their most genuine work to date with fans across the country.

For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make? 

We are The Rions, we’re from Sydney Australia and we make our own branch of indie music, sometimes pulling inspiration from Rock, Pop, R&B and Folk.

Congratulations on your new EP, Happiness In A Place It Shouldn’t Be! Can you tell us about the creative process behind this project and how it differs from your debut EP Minivan?

Thank you! Yeah this EP really came together in the latter months of 2023, taking a personal spin on the songwriting. Allowing ourselves to apply our own feelings and experiences to the stories. This alone was new for us in comparison to the Minivan EP. Minivan was very much a fictional coming of age story that we related to in some ways, but Happiness In A Place It Shouldn’t Be seems to be the result of said coming of age. It’s a much more mature and authentic project.

Your latest single, “Time Will Try,” has a deeply sentimental theme about friendship. Can you share more about the inspiration behind the song and how your bond as a band influences your music?

Absolutely, the song is very much influenced by the connection we share as a band. Just the mere thought of losing what we have is what pushed the song in the emotional direction it came out in. We wanted to go for that raw early Coldplay sound with this song too. Parachutes was a big inspiration.

You’ve mentioned that this new EP is the most genuine you’ve ever been with your stories. What was it like to be so vulnerable in your songwriting, and how do you hope your fans will connect with it?

It’s a weird feeling sharing so much of yourself in the music. It’ll definitely take getting used to, but all we can hope for is that it allows fans to connect more deeply to the music through their own interpretation of the lyrics. 

The upcoming Happiness In Places tour is your biggest Australian headline tour yet. How does it feel to be hitting so many cities, and what can fans expect from these live shows?

Honestly it’s nothing but exciting. Touring is sometimes the best thing we can do as musicians and nothing short of a privilege to be able to travel the country playing our music to fans who have taken the time to learn the words. Fans can expect to feel like they know us better than they ever have after seeing us share these new songs on stage.

With over 30 million streams worldwide, your fanbase has grown significantly. How do you handle the pressures of rising fame, and how does it impact your music and performances?

Hahaha. It’s funny you should word it that way. We don’t consider what we’re experiencing to be rising fame. Maybe it is or maybe it isn’t, but what it feels like is “Wow, people really ARE impacted by us and our music”, and that’s a feeling we could never truly describe. Knowing we have fans that are eager to hear and see what we do next is all we need to know to elevate our music and performances.

Given your evolution from high school talent shows to becoming one of Australia’s most promising bands, what advice would you give to young musicians looking to break into the industry?

It’s as simple as sticking to it. Writing as much music as you can. Utilising social media as a tool to craft your image and messaging as many people as you can is all you need to do. Whether that be to play gigs, for them to check out your music etc. Be prepared to invest years into it before you see results, but if you do, you will.

Looking ahead, what are your long-term goals for The Rions, both in terms of your musical direction and your career as a whole?

As a band we’ve always valued evolution. Evolution in our music and our image. Spanning music far into industries like film, gaming, sport etc. is the dream. 

What do you love right now? 

Love.

What do you hate right now?

Not being able to sleep on planes.

Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you? 

Cigarettes After Sex’s self titled Album from 2017. I first heard it the morning after my sister had thrown a massive party while my parents were away. I had slept in and woke up to find her and some of her friends cleaning the house to that Album. I remember as a 14 year old thinking “This is what life’s all about”. I often think of that morning when I revisit the Album.

Finally, with the release of Happiness In A Place It Shouldn’t Be and the upcoming tour, what are you most excited for in the next chapter of The Rions' journey?

The seemingly growing amount of people who support and appreciate our music is forever an unreal concept to grasp, but we are excited to see it grow into 2025 along with all the next milestones we’re excited to hit.