by mariah estran
photo by lisa nguyen
European indie-pop band Rikas has always had a knack for filling our stereo speakers with effervescent numbers. Tunes that bring you to your feet as you shamelessly show off a few moves.
The four-piece group continues to bestow us with feel-good vibes. As they toured throughout Europe, making multiple festival stops, they’ve still found time to work on a new project, Goodbye Sunshine.
“I mean, we always work on music – even though we’re touring,” Bassist and vocalist, Sam Baisch says over a Zoom call.
They’ve already released three tracks, “Barefoot,” “Never Leaving The House,” and the EP’s title track. All of which were written alongside Benny Sings in Amsterdam. But after they shot an email to the admired producer and Foxygen member Jonathan Rado, they found themselves in California. He invited them to work in his home studio, and they put the finishing touches on the EP.
Cali’s laid-back atmosphere and sunny disposition sneak their way into each track. Yet, it’s truly the band's opportunity to be making music together, and the gratefulness to work with other creatives that exude positive energy. “I think they’re songs you want to listen to over and over,” Baisch says. “I think, for us, as a band, we really want the message to be simple, but for us, it’s important to make people happy.”
Just watch their latest music video for “Never Leaving The House.” The small, choreographed dance numbers in striped pajamas is the proper scoop of light and fluffy enjoyment. “We all sing, we all love being in a band, we’re friends, but I think it’s important to have fun,” he says.
As Rikas prepares to release Goodbye Sunshine on October 29th, they took time to tell us more about the upcoming project. They share more insight on working with Jonathan Rado, being in California, playing festivals post-pandemic, and if we can expect a US tour.
I spoke to you all last year when your tracks “Stereo” and “Overthinking” were released. The work has not stopped since then. Now we have “Barefoot” and “Goodbye Sunshine,” which carry this bright, summery vibe. What inspired this new chapter?
Rikas: “I mean, we always work on music — even though we’re touring. I think the last songs we put out felt good because we wrote them all together as a band. It felt relieving because, after COVID, we had the chance to get back into the rehearsing room and have fun together — just enjoy being in a band again.
For some of the songs, ‘Barefoot’ and ‘Never Leaving The House’ — we were in Amsterdam last summer. For a week, we got invited by Benny Sings, and we worked on a bunch of demos.
I feel like the new songs breathe more, it’s a band again.”
You got to collaborate with producer Jonathan Rado on this EP. What was that experience like, and how did it help the creative process?
Rikas: “It happened really fast because we sent him an email a month earlier. Our whole band is a big fan of the music he has put out with Foxygen and the number of records he’s produced.
We wrote him an email, sent him our demos, and a week later, he wrote back. He was like, ‘Come to LA, we’ll record some songs.’ He invited us into his small backyard studio with all these analog microphones. He works very vintage.
I think the funny thing is we had a lot of respect because it kept a lot of pressure on us. In the end, it was the complete opposite. He’s just a fun person, he gave us a lot of confidence.”
You all shot “Goodbye Sunshine” at Joshua Tree, an iconic California spot. How was shooting the video and spending time in the desert?
Rikas: “It was exciting for us because none of us had been to the West Coast.
We had a day off from the studio and were like, let’s shoot a video in the desert. We were inspired by this movie called Paris, Texas (Wim Wenders).
We had two friends with us in California (Linda Ambrosiu and Lisa Nguyen) — they’ve come on tour with us a lot to take pictures, they’re kind of behind-the-scenes people of this band. They brought a vintage camera — we shot this video in one day. Not a lot of budget, but a lot of fun.”
I feel that the California essence is heard throughout these new tracks. Would you say that was the feeling you wanted these tracks to possess? Or maybe a happy accident?
Rikas: “I think it was pretty much how it turned out. We were kind of living the dream over there because everything was a little bit slower. It’s not like when we are at home recording stuff. We worked a lot, but we also had a lot of fun.”
You all have been touring, playing multiple festivals. What has it been like being on stage again and playing these new tracks for an audience?
Rikas: “It’s been amazing. We love being on stage because, I would say, we’re good at it. It’s cool to have the interaction again.
This summer was special because it was great to go out and do the thing we love.”
Now that you are gathering this traction, playing shows, getting listeners' input, and actually seeing them react. What do you hope listeners feel after listening to the upcoming EP?
Rikas: “With our band, we tend to play around with different musical styles. I feel like this new EP, and with more music coming out, I like that they’re upbeat. I think they’re songs you want to listen to over and over.
They give a vibe, a feeling. As a band, we really want the message to be simple, but for us, it’s important to make people happy. We all sing, we all love being in a band, we’re friends, but I think it’s important to have fun.
It’s hard to explain because we want them to feel good.”
I know you already have a lot going on, but what can we expect next? More shows, maybe stops in the US sometime soon?
Rikas: “For next year we have a lot of things planned. I can say, we’re planning to come to the US, we’ve been planning that for years. We have a fanbase in Japan, which is cool. That happened without a label, now, we might plan to go there. For sure, we’re going to play a lot of shows and festivals in Europe again.
We don’t like to put too much pressure on us, but I think we’re planning on releasing a whole body, an album. I think we have enough songs now to be ready to be recorded as a whole album.”