Winyah takes its name from Winyah Bay in South Carolina, where the five-piece formed in 2023. The band blends hard-driving Southern rock with folk influences, placing it among a newer wave of indie-rock acts crossing into Americana. After playing Bonnaroo in 2024, the group released its debut album, Lot to Learn, in 2025 and built momentum with a tour that included a Lollapalooza showcase and two sold-out shows at New York’s Bowery Ballroom.
The band’s second album, Right Here, Right Now, arrived in mid-September on Evan Honer’s Cloverdale Records. It contains 11 tracks, most written on bassist Stephen Russell’s back porch during a break in touring in September 2025. Frontman Thomas Rowland described it as the first collection the members wrote together, calling the process a learning experience as they worked out how to collaborate.
Winyah consists of Rowland, Russell, keyboardist Robert Buffington Jr., guitarist Luke Gordon and drummer Jake Riley. The members began playing bars in South Carolina beach and college towns, writing original songs to fill out their sets. Their debut has since amassed 25 million streams, according to the band’s account in the source report.
The new album draws on the members’ growing appreciation of one another’s influences, Gordon said. Its lyrics reflect everyday relationships, including on “Lust” and “8 Missed Calls,” while electric guitar and drums keep the arrangements rooted in rock alongside Rowland’s Carolina drawl. Rowland also works as a producer in Nashville and has collaborated with Liam St. John, Brendan Walter and Leon Majcen.
The group has opened for Evan Honer, Mt. Joy and Wilderado, drawing on elements of those acts as it develops its own live sets. After its first European tour in October, Winyah is due to return to New York in November for a sold-out show at Brooklyn Steel, a venue with a capacity of 1,800—more than twice that of Bowery Ballroom. The band’s live identity, Russell said, took shape early: Winyah played shows before it even had recorded music.
Sources: Rolling Stone.