SOUTH SUMMIT RETURN WITH NEW SINGLE ‘RIVER DAYS’ AND SPILL THEIR 5 FAVOURITE TUNES

After the successful release and reception of their debut EP ‘Merlin’ earlier this year, South Summit have retired with new catchy track, ‘River Days’ and have spilled the beans on the songs they've left on repeat.

Members Zaya, Nathan, Finn, Nemo and Josh have spent a lot of time solidifying their sound to make it uniquely their own but also paying homage to their influences, namely Ocean Alley, Pink Floyd and The Police. You can tell that their growing fanbase connects with this premise, with their debut EP standing at 80,000+ streams and a sold out hometown headline show that took place at the Rosemount Hotel. 

Now back with a new track, the young band journeys on to tackle the struggle of substance abuse and “how it can change the people closest to you”, based on the lead singer Zaya’s personal experiences. Zaya goes on to explain, “The song is an attempt to show the very personal journey I have taken. “Save me from the river”, is a cry for help. Help to be spared from seeing those closest to me change for the worse, help to save them from alcohol and help to stop me from treading the same path.”

They spent approximately 2-3 weeks in the studio with producer Dave Parkin (Spacey Jane, Tired Lion) and were surprised at how the song had transformed by the end of the process. “When we first wrote it, we knew it had potential and did not want to rush the writing process. We didn’t plan on recording ‘River Days’ this early as we didn’t think it was ready, but we took a leap of faith [...] We came out with a song that was completely different to what we came in with, which retained the elements of the original demo, but truly captured the meaning behind the words." After mixing by William Bowden (Ball Park Music, Carla Geneve), we have the privilege of being greeted by an emotional and heartfelt piece by South Summit. 

5 of South Summit’s Favourite Tunes

Kings of Leon – Closer (Nehemiah Rueben (Nemo) – Vocals & Rhythm Guitar)
Kings of Leon and their song 'Closer' is a unique song, I think it relates to us and the weird progressions we like to come up with. People think the main riff is played by a keyboard but is actually played by a bass guitar. It just shows how they like to experiment with their instruments and I find that really cool.

Slim Jimz – In the Air (Fynn Samorali – Lead Guitar)
Slim Jimz is a local Sydney band we discovered through Instagram, they’ve got all the talent they need to make it big and we religiously chuck on their music before band practice. Their song 'In the air', is one we always come back to because it has such a good cruisey vibe to it, and that’s something we take inspiration from for some of our songs. If we’re ever in Sydney or they come down to Perth we’re keen to play a great gig together.

Coldplay – Spies (Nathan Osborne – Drummer)
Spies by Coldplay is one of my favourite songs of all time. Back when I was a little kid my parents would play me all their old records, and Spies is a song that is definitely one of my favs that I appreciate more as I’ve gotten older. It is a different type of song, long breakdowns, massive change ups, just different stuff that you don’t hear a lot of today. This style has had a big effect on how we write our own songs.

Bob Marley – Who the cap fit (Isaiah Reuben – Vocals)
Bob Marley's songs are always among my favourites. Coming from a Maori background my parents would play this song all the time when I was growing up. It resonates with me because it brings back old memories. My style was heavily influenced by my parents. This song speaks about how the people closest to you could be your worst enemy and I think this is a topic that sadly occurs in the real world too often.

Dope Lemon – Uptown Folks (Josh Trindall – Bass)
Dope Lemon has always been one of my favourite artists. Uptown Folks is my favourite song by him because of it's simplicity. It's a 4 chord song with a very catchy lead line. It never gets old and I could listen to it all day. I love the dynamics throughout the song and I play it before I start practicing.

Crystal Moonsammy