ZevenPop festival presenteert met trots Rhea.

You have to be firm on your feet when your band is hailed as the nation’s new hope for good old, straightforward rock music, which is what happened to RHEA in 2016. They only had one song, and suddenly had to find their place in the Belgian music scene. And so they did, for four years on end: writing songs, releasing a bunch of singles, killing it live (supporting Royal Blood or as head act), and recording and releasing the debut album. But just when RHEA had settled in, looking forward to the future brimming with exciting projects … covid hit. Literally a day after the final recording for Lust For Blood Pt.2, Belgium went into lockdown. This was a major blow for both the band and singer Jorge Van de Sande, who were already going through a rough patch. Dreams and all sense of direction vanished, leaving only doubts and rock bottom.

 

But they got back on their feet, and when Rather Be Nothing topped Belgium’s most popular alternative chart list, it acted as a catalyst, boosted also by their main stage slot at 2022’s Rock Werchter. It brought the band back together, making plans for new music. Van de Sande started writing songs again after an unusual one-year hiatus, drawing inspiration from the difficult time he and the band had gone through, but mainly focusing on the resilience to get back on your feet. It also inspired the band to explore existential questions, in a very un-Belgian ambitious way: don’t think too small, show audacity, stick your neck out. Questioning higher powers, both political and religious, RHEA are ultimately putting humanity back in the epicentre of it all.

 

Musically it’s all very different from what RHEA has ever done, but it all came about organically, from the very first riff Van de Sande put on paper. Then he started doubting. Will this work for us? Shouldn’t I just throw it all away? But the more the band dug into the material, the more they realized this was exactly what they wanted to do, breaking new ground. It’s still rock music, but embracing new influences: there’s pieces of funk in one song, disco in another and even a ballad. Adding new instruments like violin, piano, Hammond or mellotron, groovy bass licks and wah-wah pedals, RHEA sound groovier than ever. First single Creeping Through My head can be best described as RHEA meets Kravitz.

 

The first 6 years after their breakthrough were quite the roller coaster for RHEA, eventually hitting rock bottom, not knowing where to go next. But now they’re back on track, more determined than ever. The second album will in many ways bring salvation, grown on the fertile ground provided by the ashes that started it all.