The Rions are the Northern Beaches indie-rock four-piece, Noah Blockley, Harley Wilson, Asher McLean and Tom Partingto, have reeased their debut album, Everything Every Single Day. Produced alongside ARIA Award-winning Chris Collins, the album is a vulnerable introspective indie-rock exploration into growing up, father-son bonds, toxic masculinity and finding joy. “Making an album always seemed like the impossible dream as kids,” the band shares. “We didn’t know if we’d get to play shows or make a name for ourselves. We didn’t even know if we would write music that was any good. Still, having an album always went hand-in-hand with being a musician for us. This album is the most open wound we’ve allowed the world to see thus far. It's all our triumphs, our regrets, our shortcomings, our philosophies, our hopes, and our dreams on a 13-track silver platter.” We spoke to the band to talk hometown influences, the album title, and why songwriting feels a lot like therapy:

‍How do you think being from the Northern Beaches has influenced your sound and your band?‍

It’s such an amazing place to grow up, but we always wanted to come away from the Northern Beaches with a different sound. When we first heard Lime Cordiale and The Temper Trap, we thought, “Oh my god, they’re from Pittwater, they’re so close to us, and they’re super famous. Maybe we can do it too.” We fell in love with their music. Naturally, you outgrow things, and we wanted to make sure that if we had a shot, our sound could stand on its own.

For us, it’s an achievement if someone listens to our album without knowing where we’re from. To find out afterward that we’re from the Northern Beaches feels surprising in a good way. That said, bands like Lime Cordiale definitely inspired us to start a band in the first place. It gave us so much hope.

A lot of our early music shows that influence—you can hear it in songs like Head Still Hurts, which was inspired by bands like Ocean Alley. We managed to avoid committing to the reggae sound though, because we didn’t want to be tied down to those comparisons.

Growing up here was a privilege. The community really cares about music and gives bands a platform. At our high school, Barrenjoey, we had access to instruments and spent so much time in the studio instead of outside playing sports. We were music nerds through and through.

Tell me about the album name.

Everything Every Single Day was originally a song title. Tom and I loved how, on Role Model’s album, the lyric Kansas Anymore appears unexpectedly—you don’t know which track it’s in at first.

Eventually, we looked at our own tracklist and realised Everything, Every Single Day summed up the album as a whole. It’s broad but specific, and it encapsulates our lives over the past year leading up to recording and releasing it.

We didn’t want the album title to direct attention to a single song. Instead, we wanted listeners to engage with the entire body of work, and then notice the lyric appear as a little discovery. Once it popped up as a lyric, it just had a natural ring to it, so we elevated it to the album title.

I also noticed that on the album you explore themes beyond romantic love, like a father–son relationship. Was that intentional, or did it just happen in writing sessions?‍

It was intentional. These were experiences we’d had, and songwriting became the outlet. You want to write about what you’ve been through, and expressing it through music feels right.

For us, songwriting is broader than just writing love songs. It’s the best therapy—even if you don’t realise it at the time, looking back at your lyrics feels like reading a journal. And journals aren’t only about love; they’re about trust, family, loss, the state of the world, and all the struggles that come with life.

We’ve always gravitated toward artists who go beyond love songs, so it felt natural for us to do the same.

Which song are you most excited for people to hear?

Adelaide and Oh How Hard It Is to Be 20.

One word to describe The Rions’ live show?‍

Beautiful.

Which artists are you excited about at the moment?‍

Role Model, and also The 1975’s new album.

What’s inspiring you right now?‍

Our lives and the journey of being in a band… The sun.

What’s next?‍

Experiencing life—living, breathing, writing. We also have shows the weekend the album comes out: the day of release, the day after, and the next day.

Listen to The Rions HERE.

@therionsband