Wild Rivers is an Indie Folk Quartet that originated as the Canadian duo Devan & Khalid. Devan Glover and Khalid Yassein met at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and began performing together in 2012. The duo released their EP “This Town” before being voted to the Top 10 New Artists in the country in CBC’s 2015 searchlight contest.

By October of 2015 the duo had expanded by adding Ben Labenski on drums and Andrew Oliver on bass, thus creating Wild Rivers. Since expanding, the band released a self-titled debut album in April 2016, featuring 9 tracks influenced by the music of James Taylor and Fleetwood Mac.

After the release of their album, the band completed two Eastern Canada tours and performed at select locations within the US.

The album is insightful and thought provoking, but the songs’ lively melodies keep it fun and light hearted.

“Wandering Child,” the album’s first track and most popular single on the album, gives the feeling of passion and adventure. The line “oh you’ve got nothing on my tendency to be led astray” sounds like it’s spoken by someone who appreciates spontaneity. While the lyrics may leave you questioning whether you’re really “living in the moment”, the harmonies are uplifting and positive.

“Blue June,” the second track, in which Devan and Khalid sing about a beloved love interest, takes a somber turn when the speaker sounds like he can’t commit. He says, “These days I got no trouble telling love get lost,” but by the end of the ballad seems to be unable to shake his feelings; he concedes and says, “Sweet, unspoken promises I’ll always sing for June.” While joining the speaker on his emotional rollercoaster for nearly 3 minutes, we see both the tender and tough sides of love and walk away insightful.

However the album does more than leave its colorful choruses in our heads.The popular song “Already Gone” is honest and relatable. Yassein sings, “I’ve come to love revolving doors and things that tend to shine.” The line makes it evident that we like “shiny things” because they represent wealth and riches, but the revolving door tells us the things we are chasing are often gilded and hold no real value. This song, although catchy, is not intended for mere entertainment but for self-reflection and deep thinking as well.

The album’s occasionally somber lyrics and rustic style are nicely juxtaposed against their upbeat melodies.

This Indie Folk group’s music creates a calming atmosphere. Wild Rivers is the perfect band to listen to when getting ready for the day, driving, hanging out with friends, etc.

You can stream their music on Spotify now and figure out which Wild Rivers song you like best.