"Rivers" is a song by New Zealand band Six60, released as the second single from their 2017 extended play Six60.

"Rivers"
Single by Six60
from the EP Six60
Released20 October 2017 (2017-10-20)
GenrePop
Length3:24
LabelEpic, Massive
Songwriter(s)
  • Chris Mac
  • Eli Paewai
  • James Fraser
  • Marlon Gerbes
  • Matiu Walters
  • Printz Board
Producer(s)
Six60 singles chronology
"Don't Give It Up"
(2017)
"Rivers"
(2017)
"Closer"
(2017)
Music video
"Rivers" (Lyric Video) on YouTube

Background and composition

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The song was written and recorded by the band in Los Angeles. Initially the song was not planned to be a part of the recording process, and developed around a chord played by Printz Board on a Minimoog Voyager synthesiser. Band member Marlon Gerbes feels that the song is "a reflection of [his] current journey into understanding myself and this world around me."[1]

Release and promotion

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"Rivers" was the second of six tracks released weekly in the build-up to their Six60 EP,[2] on 20 October 2017.[3]

American musician Teddy Swims covered the song on YouTube in 2019, which became a viral video.[4]

Critical reception

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Kat Bein of Billboard praised the romantic and playful feel of the song, describing it as "if you listened to Drake on a shoreside date with the stars overhead",[5] while The New Zealand Herald praised the "casual soul" and the "simple and effortless[ness]" of the track.[6] Mark Beynes of MAINZ described the song as "relaxed and uncontrived...there is no sense that the track is 'trying' too hard at all," and noted the song's tresillo rhythm.[7] Hussein Moses of Radio New Zealand reviewed the song negatively, describing it as "unstimulating" and as one of his least favourite songs from the Six60 EP.[8]

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from Tidal.[9]

  • Neil Baldock – engineer
  • Leslie Braithwaite – mixing
  • Andrew Chavez – engineer
  • Ji Fraser – guitar, songwriter
  • Marlon Gerbes – keyboards, guitar, producer, songwriter
  • David Kutch – mastering engineer
  • Chris Mac – bass guitar, songwriter
  • Eli Paewai – drums, songwriter
  • Printz Board – producer, songwriter
  • Matiu Walters – vocals, producer, songwriter

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications and sales for "Rivers"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[14] Platinum 30,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Six60 (1 December 2017). "SIX60 - Rivers (Behind the Song, Paris 2017)". YouTube. Retrieved 12 April 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Gillespie, Kim (15 November 2017). "SoundBites: Marlon Williams, Estère, Koi Boys, Kimbra, Kings, Six60, Punk It Up". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Rivers - Single". iTunes. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  4. ^ Reitsma, Bethany (30 September 2022). "Teddy Swims on Six60, new EP and how Kiwi fans made him famous". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  5. ^ Bein, Kat (7 February 2017). "10 Songs About Rivers". Billboard. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Review: Six60 have written the song of the summer - but what's next?". The New Zealand Herald. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  7. ^ Beynes, Mark (2018). "X-Factory: Six60". NZ Musician. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  8. ^ Parker, Katie; Moses, Hussein (24 November 2017). "The Singles Life: Which new Six60 song is the Six60-est?". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  9. ^ "Credits / SIX60 / SIX60". Tidal. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  10. ^ "Six60 – Rivers". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Official Top 20 NZ Singles: End of Year Charts 2017". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Official Top 20 NZ Singles: End of Year Charts 2018". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Official Top 20 NZ Singles: End of Year Charts 2019". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  14. ^ "New Zealand single certifications". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.