Ra Ra Riot
Syracuse's Ra Ra Riot first gained attention in the mid-2000s combining indie rock with chamber pop flourishes courtesy of a small string section. Their first two albums, 2008's Rhumb Line and 2010's The Orchard, showcased this chamber rock sound and gained them critical acclaim. They have continued to evolve, embracing Giorgio Moroder-esque synth-pop on 2013's Beta Love, and further balancing their '80s new wave and classical influences on 2019's Superbloom.
Formed in January 2006, Ra Ra Riot came together while the band's six members were attending college in Syracuse, New York. Showcasing the talents of Wesley Miles (keyboard/vocals), Milo Bonacci (guitar), Alexandra Lawn (cello), John Pike (drums), Mathieu Santos (bass), and Rebecca Zeller (violin), the group developed an eclectic sound, informed by '60s and '70s Baroque pop, '80s new wave, folk, and classical chamber string music. Within a year of their formation, they had gained a local following and played shows alongside the Horrors, Bow Wow Wow, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.
After pulling up stakes and relocating to New York City, the band recorded a self-titled EP and prepared to release it during the summer of 2007. That June, however, Pike died after disappearing one night from a party in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. His body was later found in nearby Buzzard's Bay. Several weeks later, his mourning bandmates issued a statement confirming their continuation as a band. Ra Ra Riot joined the roster at V2 Records later that year before switching their American operations to Barsuk Records, which signed them in May 2008 and released their debut album, The Rhumb Line, in August. Reviews were positive, and Ra Ra Riot spent the better part of a year on the road touring with bands like Death Cab for Cutie and headlining their own performances as well.
During a lull in their schedule, the musicians decamped to a peach orchard in upstate New York, where they spent several weeks writing songs and recording demos. Those songs eventually made their way onto The Orchard, Ra Ra Riot's second album, which appeared in August 2010. It landed at number 36 on the Billboard 200 and earned the group an Independent Music Awards nomination.
In 2012, Lawn announced she had left the band. Her departure marked a creative shift for the band, who decided not to replace her and instead moved forward with Zeller handling all string duties. In 2013, Ra Ra Riot delivered their third studio album, Beta Love. Influenced by sci-fi author William Gibson, as well as the work of writer/inventor Ray Kurzweil, the album found the band moving in a more synth pop-oriented direction.
In 2016, Ra Ra Riot returned with their fourth album, Need Your Light, featuring production from former Vampire Weekend guitarist Rostam Batmanglij. Included on the album were the singles "Water" and "Absolutely." In the spring of the following year, Ra Ra Riot celebrated their tenth anniversary by re-releasing their debut EP for Record Store Day. Singles "This Time of Year" and "Bad to Worse" carried the band into 2019 and were included on the group's fifth album, the Batmanglij-produced Superbloom.
© Andrew Leahey & Kenyon Hopkin /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Superbloom
Alternative & Indie - Released by Ra Ra Riot, LLC on 9 Aug 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beta Love
Alternative & Indie - Released by Barsuk Records on 7 Jan 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Need Your Light
Alternative & Indie - Released by Ra Ra Riot on 19 Feb 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Orchard (10th Anniversary Edition)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Ra Ra Riot LLC on 24 Aug 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ra Ra Riot
Alternative & Indie - Released by Rebel Group on 19 Mar 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Binary Mind
Alternative & Indie - Released by Barsuk Records on 9 Dec 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bad To Worse
Alternative & Indie - Released by Rob The Rich Recordings on 22 Mar 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Rhumb Line
Alternative & Indie - Released by [PIAS] Recordings Catalogue on 19 Aug 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Water
Alternative & Indie - Released by Ra Ra Riot on 16 Nov 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live in Kyoto 2010
Alternative & Indie - Released by Ra Ra Riot LLC on 28 Jul 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Water (Inukshuk Remix)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Ra Ra Riot on 19 Mar 2018
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Valerie
Alternative & Indie - Released by Barsuk Records on 10 Feb 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beta Love
Alternative & Indie - Released by Barsuk Records on 13 Nov 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Flowers
Alternative & Indie - Released by Ra Ra Riot, LLC on 17 May 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Need Your Light: Remix - EP
Alternative & Indie - Released by Ra Ra Riot on 5 Mar 2018
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
This Time Of Year
Alternative & Indie - Released by Rob The Rich Recordings on 19 Oct 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Can You Tell
Alternative & Indie - Released by [PIAS] Cooperative on 22 Dec 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
When I Dream
Alternative & Indie - Released by Barsuk Records on 11 Dec 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Suckers (Space Fight Remix)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Ra Ra Riot on 19 Mar 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dying Is Fine
Alternative & Indie - Released by [PIAS] Cooperative on 16 Mar 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dance With Me
Alternative & Indie - Released by Barsuk Records on 8 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo