Wild Rivers brings emotional warmth to a cold night at recordBar

Wild Rivers at recordBar. // Photo by Michael Cripe

“If anyone’s thinking about messing with our cousins, don’t try us,” Wild Rivers guitarist and vocalist Khalid Yassein says before easing into the band’s soft-spoken “Amsterdam.”

“Cousins are sick!” Yassein shouts as a follow-up.

The Toronto folk outfit was sure to bring chill vibes and catchy tunes when they played recordBar on Wednesday night, but the real surprise came from a natural feeling of friendship filling the atmosphere. If vocalist Devan Glover wasn’t telling stories of penning folky diss-tracks about a cousin’s ex, then Yassein was cracking jokes. Or telling the audience that everything is going to be all right, which was surprisingly comforting to hear from a performer I didn’t know personally.

Wild Rivers was a shoulder to lean on in one of 2022’s coldest days.

The hour-and-a-half show wasn’t without its hitches. One-third of the way into the performance, Glover found herself tangled with a loose earpiece during “Weatherman”. Amidst the spinning and twirling, she broke a smile and began to dance. What might have been a moment of frustration for the less confident became a moment of levity.

Glover, in particular, was a highlight through the chilled evening. Certified bops like “Speak Too Soon” brought the audience to their feet as they tried to match her passioned vocals. Then, just as blood began to follow, she’d use tracks like “Call It a Night” to serve as a reminder of difficult spells spent arguing with those we love.

Wild Rivers’ newest LP, Sidelines, is out today. Tracks from that album debuted in our live show included “Bedrock,” which demonstrates a sonic shift for the band, moving ever so slightly away from the group’s usual heavy folk influence. Before rolling into the set’s penultimate song, “Safe Flight,” Yassein took the opportunity to define one of the track’s more esoteric terms.

“Does anyone know what an eavestrough is?” he asks. One audience member, a fellow Canadian, was quick to raise their hand and correctly describe what is essentially another term for a house’s roof gutter—a safety guard for catching rain. This was a tie into the song “Safe Flight,” which explores that feeling that comes toward the end of a relationship, as we wish the best for the other person before they leave. It’s a bittersweet track that perfectly encapsulated the night.

Wild Rivers’ refusal to rehearse a by-the-numbers show left recordBar with a performance that felt unabashedly organic. For every teary-eyed trip through memories of sadness, there was a relatable story to tell or a sing-along. The group even opted for an honest exit, proclaiming they would skip out on the fake-out before an inevitable encore, playing straight through instead.

Even the most lonesome among us no doubt felt included by the time tour opener Corey Harper joined Wild Rivers to play guitar for the closing track, “Thinking ‘Bout Love.”