By Esme Campbell
Photo Credit: Charlie Hardy
Returning from touring the world with a new aspirational single, Shut You Out is the recent addition to the strong and steady evolution of Australian indie-rock band, The Rions.
Having formed in high school with a push from their music teacher, the Sydney quartet have made their name through striking melodies and a long list of sold-out shows.
Shut You Out is their returning statement; a solid single that opens with acoustic strumming, and a robust drum beat, to introduce the signature melancholic vocals of the indie-rock genre. A gentle, slightly mellowed, tone soon gives way to a bolder, Sam Fender-esque, sound, in a climatic bridge.
As the more understated verses transcend into a punchy chorus, The Rions evince their journey of growth over the past year, with a rhapsodic tune to accompany the equally stirring lyricism. Bold percussion and an emotionally charged melody are overlaid by the title lyrics, ‘I try my best to shut you out’.
Building upon the authenticity of Happiness In A Place It Shouldn’t Be – their previous EP – Shut You Out brings a gorgeously vulnerable and undeniably candid element to the forefront of the track.
‘We decided pretty quickly that it was naturally taking an intense path both sonically and lyrically, so we just leaned into that throughout the rest of the writing process, adding strings for that cinematic flair we’ve been chasing for a while.’
The track delivers ambitious instrumentals with an upbeat edge that only serves to make the lyrics more plaintive through the ironic edge it brings. It certainly attests to that cinematic flair they wanted to pin down.
The storytelling isn’t overembellished with florid words; rather, the emotional hit comes from its lyrical simplicity, relaying a truth that’s neither romantic nor pretty – but it is genuine.
The Rions’ sound carries something nostalgic embedded into it, a discography that summons a vague haze of sweaty summer nights spent with friends, and that sensation of infinity and invincibility that comes with it. Shut You Out naturally emanates this same ambience, a track that leaves you feeling undeniably good despite its weightier theme.
You can stream the track here:
Unless otherwise stated, Photography & Text Copyright 2025 © Esme Campbell/ADRENALINE Magazine.
Chloe McLelland 
Jack Walsh