From The Road: Rikas
HIGHLIGHTING THE POSITIVE — in every situation, German indie-pop band Rikas brought their joy to Austin, Texas for the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival 2023.
Composed of Chris Ronge, Ferdinand Hübner, Samuel Luca Baisch, and Sascha Scherer, the group tackles themes of romantic love and explores loneliness and the act of getting older. Through catchy refrains and playful rhythms, Rikas makes diverse emotions digestible.
In addition, the band has released colorful, easy-going videos to accompany their songs since their debut. The video for the title track of their latest EP, Goodbye Sunshine, was shot in Joshua Tree, California, and it depicts a progression toward the sunset. Like the video, the song examines times past with an acceptance of night as sunshine fades away: “Goodbye, Sunshine. I wonder if you ever think about me.” But even when saying goodbye, Rikas leaves on a hopeful note: “Hello, Nighttime. I’ll be waiting on the other side again.”
After hundreds of shows across Europe through the years, Rikas brought their sunshine to SXSW for their US debut. Read about their festival experience, what they loved about Austin, and upcoming plans below.
LUNA: Can you share a favorite memory from your SXSW experience?
RIKAS: We were blown away by all of the great feedback we got after our shows. We thought that [the music] might connect with the US audience but did not expect that shows would be that great. It also makes me smile that our street set in Austin made it into Rolling Stone.
LUNA: What has been your favorite track to play live?
RIKAS: Lately, it has been “Never Leaving the House.” It has a great energy live and sometimes it reminds me of a Talking Heads song, especially the songwriting and the way we sing it live.
LUNA: How would you compare US crowds to those in Europe?
RIKAS: Well, we just had a little taste of how it is to perform in the US. I feel like people in US crowds love to be entertained. They love it when you interact with the audience and, especially in Austin, there is a concert venue at every corner. So live music is super important in that city. In Europe, everything has to be a little bit cooler. At least that is my feeling.
LUNA: Do you have any pre-show rituals?
RIKAS: We like to get together and sing some of our songs before we get on stage, just to warm up our four voices. And yes, we do cheer and tell ourselves that we love each other and that we are about to put on a great show!
LUNA: What did you get up to in Austin outside of your SXSW shows?
RIKAS: It was basically a lot of fast walking in between shows and a bunch of tacos. Our favorite place was Veracruz [All Natural]. We went for some vintage shopping on our last day and strolled around the beautiful city. It is so nice around the [lake] and I was surprised how much you can walk from place to place in Austin compared to LA. Our favorite bar was The White Horse — there we had our American experience, for sure. Outside of our shows, we went to see a lot of bands who performed at SXSW. My highlights were Ric Wilson, Michelle, Divino Niño, and Danielle Porter, just to name a few.
LUNA: What’s the best part of performing in a live setting?
RIKAS: The best part of being on stage is when you realize that you catch the crowd and when they groove and sing along to your music.
LUNA: How have you seen your live performance evolve over time?
RIKAS: We have played over 250 shows over the last couple years and I think our live set has become pretty tight, musically. We are much more confident when we go on stage, and I think that makes us enjoy being on stage much more than [we] used to. I would say our songwriting has become more diverse. So the set changes in the mood, and that is what I like about our band. A lot of acts just have one music style; we try to switch it up and we see our live show like a four-course dinner menu, if that makes sense.
LUNA: What intentions do you have for the upcoming months of 2023?
RIKAS: We have been working on our second album in Berlin since January and I hope we can finish it up soon. We will also be releasing our first little 7-inch vinyl in Japan. It is a special release for the Japanese record store in April and we’ve teamed up with Arishima Records, who will release the vinyl there. Super excited! During the summer, we will travel to perform at some festivals and then in the winter we will go on a month-long tour through Europe with shows in Berlin, Barcelona, and Paris. Can’t wait for that part of the year. And maybe the US at some point again.
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