Ra Ra Riot are born on American indie rock scene in 2006. They formed on a campus of Syracuse colleage in New York and recorded their first demo in 2006. Shortly after their debut The Rhumb Line, they went on tour with Art Brut, Tokyo Police Club and Editors. It didn’t take long before they became a world wide attraction.
This year, we get their fourth record called Need Your Light. Even though they have been on a music scene for a long time, Ra Ra Riot do not have a rich discography. They do not want to release anything just to be present. They are known for being detail oriented so all of their records bring a new story and fresh concept. Of course, they manage to keep recognizable sound. They fall somewhere between The Shins and The Decemberists because they incorporate baroque pop.
Opening track Water sounds like a song from The Shin’s album Wincing The Night Away. Even the vocal sound similar, especially when it comes to falsetto. This track is also a hit that will support the rest of the album. It is beautifully orchestrated indie pop number, one of the most powerful the band has ever created.
Following Absolutely is synth-pop track. I can notice Ra Ra Riot is yet another band who went back to the 80s but they managed to stay true to themselves while using time travel machine. The song is congruent with the rest of the album, which is not obsessed with grandiose and heavy themes. It is all about the simplicity of life. You can feel life joy when listening to I Need Your Light or Call Me Out. Foreign Lovers is another hit with strong guitars and eclectic chorus. It is the most similar to their earlier works with the step forward in the direction of a modern sound. I even heard some Kings Of Leon here.
The biggest advantage of Ra Ra Riot’s fourth album is consistency. It is difficult to find a weak song here because they are all so contagious. Every single one of them is a small hit.
