
They sing about travel, heartbreak and the Eurail Pass: An interview with the band Wild Rivers
Cristian Cretu
31 January 2025
Fine, I'll admit it— songs about heartbreak make for a great travel playlist.
Take, for example, the song “Amsterdam” by Canadian folk band Wild Rivers. The lyrics describe a person who is moving to Amsterdam to be with their partner. The couple plans to embark on a Eurail journey to celebrate their reunion and new chapter together in Europe. “I'm pretty over school,” the lyrics read. “Switching out my books for the Eurail Pass and all these dreams of Amsterdam.”
But then, before these dreams could become a reality, the couple breaks up.
As sad as it sounds, a real-life story inspired the lyrics of “Amsterdam.”
“It was about a relationship of one of my family members,” said Devan Glover, one of the band’s vocalists.
Fortunately, the story eventually had a happy ending. “They're actually now back together, and they live in Amsterdam,” said Devan. “When we were writing this song, we were envisioning all the European romantic things to do, including train trips. So, that was the inspiration behind it.”
Started in 2013 by college friends Devan (vocals), Khalid Yassein (vocals and guitar) and Andrew Oliver (guitar and synths), Wild Rivers has experienced great success over the years, collaborating with artists such as The Chicks and Noah Kahan. Travel increasingly became a big part of their lives, especially during their ongoing tour across Europe, North America, and Australia.
My colleagues and I at Eurail are huge fans of Wild Rivers, and we have collaborated with the band over the years, finding common ground over discussions about music, travel and creativity. In November 2024, I got the chance to sit down and chat with the band members, right before the first European show of their tour “Everywhere We Go” in Groningen, The Netherlands. We talked about trains, the band’s favourite destinations and tips for how Eurail travellers can make the most of their time exploring Europe.

Devan Glover, Khalid Yassein, and Andrew Oliver make up the band Wild Rivers (credit: Justin Broadbent)

Wild Rivers began the European leg of their "Everywhere We Go" tour in Groningen, the Netherlands.

Wild Rivers travelled from Annecy, France to Lucerne, Switzerland by train, crossing the Alps along the way.
We’re here in Groningen, where you're opening the European leg of the “Everywhere We Go” tour. Have you been here before?
Khalid: None of us have ever had the chance to explore it. In the past, we've only played Amsterdam and Utrecht in the Netherlands. We love this country; the people are so kind. Honestly, here we’ve encountered some of the kindest people we've ever run into on tour, and that's coming from us notoriously nice Canadians. It's clean, beautiful, and we love the stroopwafels, but we haven't dived into places outside of Amsterdam, so we're excited to look around.
Back in 2023, you went on a Eurail trip through Europe, which you posted about on social media, exploring England, France, Switzerland, Italy and Spain along the way. What was your favourite train ride and why?
Devan: We took the train from Annecy, France, to Lucerne, Switzerland, and that was one of the best rides. There was snow on the mountains, and the ride itself was beautiful.
We stretched out in first class and saw the Alps out the window. They gave us wine on the train, and it was a very luxurious time. And, of course, getting off the train and experiencing Switzerland was amazing.
During that trip, I remember seeing your Instagram post about your favourite songs to listen to while wistfully looking out the train window. Which leads to my next question: where in Europe have you felt most wistful?
Andrew: That's a crazy question! I took a particularly wistful walk down the river in Utrecht. It was a beautiful day; there were people around the banks just watching other people row by. I think this might have been our only day off on the last tour. We played so many shows, and I hadn’t yet really processed any of it—it was just one show after the next. So, I just took a long walk and listened to some music and felt very wistful.
I'm curious to know, what do you enjoy about train travel?
Devan: I think mostly about the environmental impact. [Taking the train] feels a lot better than taking the plane. But it’s also great not having to deal with the chaos of the airport. You can bring as much stuff as you want. You can settle in, and you have a lot more space. Everyone chats with each other, which is nice.
While travelling by train, you often get the chance to stop in smaller communities, as well as big cities. What is it like visiting these lesser-visited destinations?
Devan: I think, when you take planes, you often just go to the major cities where it's a bit touristy. But when you're on a train, you can get off for an hour in places where you'd probably never otherwise go and have a real cultural experience. It's also good for getting your bearings and understanding geographically where you are, because when you travel by train, you see the whole journey.
Khalid: I think it's just all about the people and the conversations you have. Often, people in smaller towns are open to talking a lot more than people in big cities. For example, you end up hearing little tidbits and stories when you visit a random pie shop in a place you’d never otherwise get to visit. We always talk about these memories on tour, the special places that we stumble upon.
What is one item you would recommend for a Eurailer/Interrailer?
Khalid: I forgot power adapters on this trip, which is very important when you're in a band that needs to plug in a lot of things.
I also recommend a good book; I’m trying to swap out scrolling time with reading time. Right now, I'm reading Intermezzo, the new Sally Rooney book, and I’m enjoying it. Reading on the train feels romantic – wistfully looking out the window, with lots of natural light.
Also, bring lots of deodorant and soap. And maybe some dry shampoo.
Devan: Board games, especially if you have a table seat and the car isn’t moving around too much.
Do you have a favorite board game that you play while travelling?
Devan: On a train trip last year, I brought a mini magnetic chess set, and we played the whole time.
Who won the most?
Devan: On that trip, I was travelling with a friend, not my bandmates, but if we decided to play, Andrew would probably win the most.
Was there ever a time when a delay or unexpected event during your travels led to something magical or inspiring?
*Laughter*
Khalid: A few times. We had a show cancelled in Nashville. We were opening for The Chicks and all our family had flown down. The show got cancelled because one of the lead singers was sick. We had to scramble because all our friends and family were there, so we put on a random show in a small bar, and it was one of the best concerts we've ever had. It was so much fun, and it went from being one of the worst days on tour to one of the best.
If you could choose one European destination or train route to serve as inspiration for an album, which would it be and why?
Devan: That's a good question. On this tour, we're going to visit studios in different countries, just to see what inspiration comes from those countries. And after this tour, we'll [listen to what we recorded and] see what feels most inspiring.
We wrote a bunch in London, which has always felt inspiring to us. We wrote a couple of songs off our last album when we were there earlier, and we love music coming out of the United Kingdom.
Also, I love electronic music, so I want to go out in Berlin and see what that's like – but I don't see us making electronic music.
If you could design a train specifically for musicians, what would it be like? What features or amenities would it have to spark creativity while travelling?
Andrew: It would have some bunks, it would have a big TV with some video games on it, a little studio, a little kitchenette, a good washroom, and that would mostly be it.
Devan: Maybe like massage chairs? We’ve got to dream bigger!
Andrew: A sushi bar?
Devan: Maybe a big skylight; the ceiling is just glass, but you can shade it when you want it to.
Andrew: That's sick—you can see the stars! Also, dogs.
Devan: Lots of dogs.
Andrew: 6 to 7 dogs.
Devan: A pastry chef?
Andrew: Oh yeah, and a barista making coffee in the morning.

Over the years, Wild Rivers has written songs in London. The city "has always felt inspiring to us," Devan said.

Berlin is high on Devan's travel wish list. "I love electronic music, so I want to go out in Berlin and see what that's like," she said.

Amsterdam remains a favourite city among the Wild Rivers band members, who titled a song "Amsterdam" on their album "Sidelines."
Time for our rapid round. Your tour is titled “Everywhere We Go.” Complete the sentence: Everywhere we go, we...
Khalid: Drink coffee.
Window seat or aisle seat?
Andrew: Aisle seat.
Khalid: Window.
Devan: Aisle, but only because I have to go to the bathroom a lot. Otherwise, window.
Amsterdam or Paris?
All: Amsterdam.
Best snack to have on a long train ride?
Khalid: Hummus.
Andrew: Dried mangos.
Devan: Popcorn.
The song that’s always on your train travel playlist?
Devan: Last year, it was a song by this artist named Searows called “I have more than enough.” Very moody.
Best place to write lyrics: inside a quiet train station or a moving train?
Khalid: A moving train, maybe.
Andrew: A moving train, especially if the scenery is nice.
You can listen to Wild Rivers on Spotify and Apple Music. Their newest companion albums “Never Better” and “Better Now” are out now. Add the albums to your travel playlist.
Meet the writer
Cristian Cretu is a digital marketing coordinator at Eurail, based in Utrecht, the Netherlands. This winter, he travelled by train to his former student city, Groningen, to meet the band Wild Rivers and attend the first show of their tour "Everywhere We Go."
Favourite Wild Rivers song to listen to on the train:
Nothing compares to winter train trips, when I can wistfully look out the window while listening to music. Do I want to stay in "till the zombies go home"? Do I prefer the numbness over the "pain of thawing out? The song "Freezing" by Wild Rivers got me thinking.

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