Psst… wanna hear the next big export to come from Australia? Lucky you, because NTH RD is blowing up the Land Down Under and preparing for a global breakout on the shoulders of their new single “River”. In less than a month, the new single from the Melbourne-based quartet has already been streamed over 24,000 times. NTH RD bassist Lucas Banim joined TGEFM for a Roll of the Dice interview where we had the chance to chat about the new single, the band’s influences and what’s going on in Australia to breed such awesome talent.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview and congrats on the release of the new single, “River”. What can you tell me about NTH RD and the new track?
No worries, thanks for having me!
NTH RD is a four piece from Melbourne, Australia that draws influence from a range of genres in the realms of pop, emo, metalcore, post hardcore and rock.
‘River’ holds a special place in our hearts as it marks a significant milestone in our creative development as a band, being the first track we wrote after previous studio sessions for our debut EP, Panic and standalone single, ‘I Watched You Fade Away’.
We felt that after the release of these tracks, we began to see a clear direction for our sound, and I believe ‘River’ perfectly introduces this new era, which we’ll be rolling out over the rest of the year.
One aspect that sets this release apart from our previous tracks is how much each of us stepped up to push the band creatively. Our vocalist, Jordan, took on the challenge of designing treatments and honing the visual direction for the music video; he also helped each of us to pick outfits for press photos and live performances, aiming to highlight the individuality of each band member while ensuring a cohesive and unique aesthetic.
I stepped up to properly produce the initial demo for ‘River’, with many of the layers heard in the final version tracing back to those early production stages of late 2021. It’s incredibly rewarding to see how our ideas and creativity have evolved throughout the process of writing, recording and then releasing the track.
Thematically, “River” explores personal traumas and how they shape us as individuals.
Lines in the chorus, such as ‘You make me who I am’, and ‘I’ve been crossing the river’ emphasise this, using the metaphor of crossing a river as a means of understanding and accepting your own shortcomings, and using that acceptance as a catalyst for positive growth.
What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do”. Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?
We’re very eclectic in our influences, but we’ve always loved Deftones’ ability to fuse stupidly heavy sections with ambient, beautiful chords and soaring choruses. When we first started the band, we were just kids that wanted to be Metallica. They were definitely the band that inspired John, Billy and myself to take our musicianship and songwriting to the next level initially, but over time, and especially when our vocalist Jordan joined the band, we’ve fine tuned our strengths and vision, ending up on a sound more akin to Dayseeker, Bring Me The Horizon, Bad Omens and Holding Absence. I think you can really hear these influences beginning to show through in newer material such as ‘River’, which feels like the most authentic representation of our sound yet.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
There’s so many bands in the local Australian scene that are writing incredible music and putting on great shows that are just waiting to be found. Bands like Alera, The Motion Below, Ultravlt, Suspyria, ATLVS and Days Like These are all Australian bands that are killing it at the moment. I think it’s very exciting to be a part of a burgeoning scene that feels exciting and fresh; I’m super keen to see which bands will rise up and become the next batch of headliners and international exports, because there’s plenty of awesome bands in the local scene here that are just a few years off dominating the international markets.
I thought it was just Fosters, kangaroos and Paul Hogan down there, but NTH RD, Stand Atlantic, Yours Truly and Between You and Me have all put out some amazing and attention-grabbing music over the last few years. What’s going on in Australia that’s led to such an overabundance of great music in the scene lately?
I think that because Australia is so isolated from the rest of the world, it really takes 100% effort in all aspects of being a band to be seen and heard. To even pull an audience here, you must already have fine tuned organisation and communication skills, truly great songs, gripping stage presence, a clear creative vision and a well-honed visual direction. It’s definitely tough, but it’s super motivating when you see bigger Australian bands killing it. It’s also reassuring to know that more often than not, it just takes time to understand each facet of what it is to be ‘an artist’, hone your craft and work out the ‘right’ things to be doing. We’ve been a band for over 6 years already, and it only feels like we’ve just started to put all the pieces of the puzzle together in the last year or so; and even still, we’re learning more and more every day.
I also think that since bands in Australia are so tight, everyone’s creative output is held to such a high standard, meaning that the bands that do break through into international markets are some of the most talented and creative artists in the world, because they know that in order to stand out, they can’t just be good, they have to be incredible, motivated and unique.
What’s next for the members of NTH RD and was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
We’re gearing up for our biggest year yet, with plenty of support slots and interstate shows in the works! We’re also super excited to roll out the rest of the material that we’ve been working on across the year, it’s our best work to date, so stay tuned!
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
