Q&A: RIVER Gives Us Further Insight into Growing Discography with new track "Dance in the Darkness”
LIKE A SUMMER SUNRISE - Hamburg born, California Bred RIVER has released their newest track “Dance in the Darkness”. As the track progresses, the good vibes amplify and you’ll find yourself transported to a serene place in your mind. Composed of duo Christian Vorländer and Aljoscha Christenhuß, RIVER gather inspiration from the world around them and capturing the awe of it all within the music. Just in time for the season change, the duo has given us a song that will have us grooving into the later part of the year full of light.
“Dance in the Darkness” is a song about transcending the duality that comes from navigating a long-distance relationship but regardless of the initial intentions of this song, it serves as a reminder that darkness is fleeting. The track serves as a terrific addition to their growing discography, and is sure to play a great role in the solidifying of their musical foundation. With endearing vocals and a beat that keeps you into each note, the track has a gleaming sense of optimism to it, sure to put a smile on your face with just one listen.
RIVER will be releasing their debut album early next year and in the meantime will continue to explore the world and their sound. Read below to learn about more about the new single and RIVER and what inspires them, what they’re trying to create in their music, and their top five essential roadtrip songs.
LUNA: A big inspiration for your music is the concept of leaving things behind and the general love of travel. What’s the most inspiring place you’ve been to?
RIVER: No matter where on this planet, raw and untamed nature is always a source of deep power for us. We wrote some of our songs in Sequoia, where you look up to some of the oldest and biggest trees of the world. It really humbles and energizes you at the same time. Nonetheless we need the buzz of the city, diverse people and conversations. It’s probably the change of places and perspectives that inspires us the most.
LUNA: Can you share a bit about the making of “Dance in the Darkness”?
ALJOSCHA: The song started out very slow and moody, I was in a long distance relationship at that time and had this weird mix of feelings of being in love but not being able to live it out. Chris had the idea to embrace this feeling, sped up the song a lot and put a beat underneath. The song turned into a celebration of this melancholy.
LUNA: Sonically, what are some elements you’d like to explore more in future music?
RIVER: Even if our music doesn’t sound like it, we always try to become more minimalistic in what we’re doing. It’s so powerful, if you’re able to remove all the unnecessary layers in the music and lyrics and find the pure essence of a song.
LUNA: So far we’ve heard “Inappropriate” and now “Dance in the Darkness” - how would you compare the feel of these tracks to the rest of the album?
RIVER: Sonically the album is pretty broad in scope. But what the songs do have in common, is that almost all of them are dealing with different approaches to letting go. They are a mix of melancholy and gratitude, of feeling free and feeling lonely. The first two singles give a good impression of that, but there’s definitely more to explore.
LUNA: What’s the ideal setting for a listener to listen to “Dance in the Darkness” for the first time?
RIVER: Either blurry from a distant stage, while walking over a festival ground, with smoke and excitement in the air or at night walking through the streets, just you and your earbuds.
LUNA: The visuals that we’ve seen from you are really well done, very tasteful. What can you share about any upcoming videos?
RIVER: In the past we wrote a lot of music for movies, now it’s the other way around. Bringing a visual idea to life is such a different and exciting way to express our thoughts and to connect with amazing creative people during the process. We always have pictures in mind while listening to music, and there’re lots of ideas already brooding for future releases. If our music can also be the soundtrack of other people’s stories and lives that’s even more fulfilling.
LUNA: Top 5 essential road trip songs?
RIVER:
Red Hot Chili Peppers - “Scar Tissue”
The War on Drugs - “Thinking of a Place”
Fleetwood Mac - “The Chain”
Lou Reed - “Walk on the Wild Side'“
Canned Heat - “On the Road again”
LUNA: As the year winds down, what do you hope the rest of 2021 brings you?
RIVER: We wanna escape the noise, and hope to travel to South America at end of the year, write some new songs, keep growing out of our comfort zone and just enjoy every single day!
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