Proliferate indie group The Rions continue their ascent with the news of their debut EP Minivan due August 11. The title track arrives today alongside new music video, creative directed and produced by Sydney creative production house Sure Studios. LISTEN + WATCH HERE + PRE-SAVE EP HERE.

Hot off their sold out tour in support of ‘Scary Movies’, (including three shows across Eora / Sydney and Naarm / Melbourne), that landed playlisting on triple j and praised by Nick Findlay as “an instant hit,” amongst Atwood Magazine, NME, Life Without Andy, Music Feeds, RAGE, MTV and more, ‘Minivan’ is the score to P-Plate-dom. Conversely to their contemporaries who speak to relinquishing control and anxieties in a backseat drive, ‘Minivan’ bottles that spirit of Puberty Blues’ runaways with your inaugral Maccas run. The liberation of unsupervision, the magic in possiblity and grabbing the bull – or Happy Meal – by the horns.

Speaking to song, the band share, “Minivan explores the feelings of purpose and chasing your dreams. We really wanted this song to reflect the wild spirit of youth, with a sound that would evoke a sense of maturing and growing into the person you want to become. There comes a time in everyone’s life, when you wish you could just get in a minivan with your friends and drive as far as you can go. And if you ever do chase your dreams in the form of leaving town in the dead of night, Minivan is the only soundtrack you need.”

Like most coming-of-age releases, the Minivan EP too rolls through the motions of finding yourself, grief and heartbreak. Less so of the peaks and pits of love in all its forms, but a thorough excavation of the youthful effervescence in that torpedo period between life’s most pivotal stage. While lyrically The Rions attempt to master and understand adulthood, artistically Minivan covers the gamut of the band’s offering – Mylo Xyloto-like, arena-ready choruses with their keen ear for humility and intimacy intact; capturing a similar jolly mischief of the four best friends running rampant through train stations and fields in A Hard Day’s Night.

They reveal, “This EP is definitely a reflection of many experiences the four of us have had individually over the course of our teenage years. The narrative connecting the songs is that of a person that experiences all the ups and downs of an ordinary life. Having issues with yourself, falling in love, having a meltdown and separating yourself from what hurts you most in an attempt to better yourself as a person.”

Produced and recorded in close collaboration with Chris Collins (Matt Corby, Skegss, Middle Kids), Minivan sees The Rions make sense of the noise happening around them in real time with an innate understanding of their influences. Pieces of Liam and Noel through to John and Paul and beyond, they distil and re-invigorate into a universality that speaks volumes of the four 19-year-olds’ maturity and musicality – which has built the group a loyal fanbase and gone on to sell out national tours in the time since their Unearthed High win.

Guided by a consistent drive to evolve, The Rions weave their own dreamcatcher for listeners on Minivan, a protective vessel for solace and community from the big brothers who’ve already gone through it. With each steady stride that’s gotten them here already – back-to-back Hottest 100 entries, tours supporting Lime Cordiale, Boy & Bear, Pacific Avenue amongst others, festival appearances at Grapevine the Gathering, Party In The Paddock, Festival of the Sun and more – The Rions’ debut EP is a giant leap into the band, and men, they seek to become.