Wild Rivers Tap James Vincent McMorrow for New Take on Single 'Backfire' 　​  ​ 

Platinum-selling indie trio Wild Rivers teams up with acclaimed Irish singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow for a new version of their track "Backfire." The song, originally released on Wild Rivers’ first companion record, Never Better, earlier this summer, has been reimagined with McMorrow’s signature emotive style, adding a layer of depth to the already poignant song."Backfire" explores the emotional complexity of hesitation and missed opportunities in relationships.

Of the track, Wild Rivers shares, “James Vincent McMorrow has one of our favourite voices, and we’ve all been fans of his music since we started the band. We recently met at a writing session and have since played a few festivals together, and we’d always hoped to be able to collaborate in some way. He has a gift of injecting so much soul and emotional sincerity into everything he sings, there’s almost a heartbreaking quality to his voice. ‘Backfire’ felt like the perfect song to ask him to be a part of. We love how he added a new perspective to his verse, turning the song into a conversation rather than one-sided regret.”

“Backfire (Better with James)" blends Wild Rivers' intimate harmonies with McMorrow’s rich, atmospheric vocals, creating an evocative and soul-stirring reinterpretation of the original.

James adds, “I spent some time in the studio with Devan early last year, her voice fairly blew me away, there's just something about it that you instinctively believe in when it's in full flow. I got to meet the rest of the band in Canada over the summer and afterwards a conversation started about me jumping on a song with them. When I first heard ‘Backfire’, to me it sounded like one of those classic country duets, just something in the melody and the lyric that resonated, it's a beautifully written song. I didn't have a plan for it, jumped on a mic in my studio one day and wrote an entire second verse basically in a single take. It felt like an instinctual response, melodically, to the first verse and the story they lay out. Also, i'm sucker for a good harmony, excited to potentially sing it live with them one day and lock in on that second chorus.”

About Wild Rivers:

Platinum-selling indie trio Wild Rivers, Khalid Yassein [guitar, vocals, keys], Devan Glover [vocals], and Andrew Oliver [lead guitar, synths], have a gift for penning introspective lyrics and genre-fluid melodies that transmit wisdom beyond their years. Since their 2022 album, Sidelines, which landed at #9 on the U.S. Spotify Debut Album Chart, they have supported The Chicks and Noah Kahan on tour, seen their 2020 break-out single “Thinking ‘Bout Love” be certified Gold in Australia and Platinum in Canada, sold-out headline North American and European tours, earned over 950 million streams with 4 million monthly listeners, and were nominated for Breakthrough Group of The Year at the 2023 JUNO Awards.

This year, they released their companion albums, Never Better and Better Now. Co-produced by Wild Rivers and Gabe Wax (Soccer Mommy, Adrienne Lenker), the records dive into the complicated, confusing, and unknown realities of life in their twenties and the personal growth they’ve found through it all. They were released to critical acclaim, including praise from the Associated Press, Consequence, Rolling Stone, CBS Saturday, and more. 

About James Vincent McMorrow:

James has beckoned listeners to open their minds and hearts since his emergence in 2010. He gathered over 1 billion streams across an expansive catalog along the way. Among many standouts, "Higher Love" went BPI Gold in the UK and ARIA platinum in Australia. His cover of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" soundtracked the trailer for Season Six of HBO's Game of Thrones and generated over 129 million Spotify streams on its Live At Killkenny Arts Festival version.

Toppling charts, 2016's We Move notably debuted at #1 in Ireland. At the same time, he lent his voice to "Hype" from Drake's multiplatinum blockbuster Views, "I'm In Love" from Kygo's Cloud Nine, and "Run Away" from dvsn's Morning After, among others. 2022's The Less I Knew arrived to critical acclaim as Variance attested, "It makes for the perfect listen in the midst of these complicated times, brimming with emotion and candidly confronting struggle while also looking to a brighter day." Meanwhile, he's sold out tours on multiple continents, even twice packing the world-famous Sydney Opera House. He recently signed with Nettwerk Music Group and released his highly anticipated new studio album, Wide Open, Horses, in June. Following the album's success, he just wrapped up a highly successful North American tour.

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