Rank: 3/5
Ra Ra Riot’s fourth album “Need Your Light,” redefines the band’s musical style. After a decade together, the group has found its sound and are sticking to it.
The strongest songs on the album are the first and last tracks, “Water” and “Suckers.”
“Water,” the opening track, is the obvious standout from the album and its slower beat and falsetto vocals set it apart from the rest of the mediocre record. If the rest of the album imitated the intro track, it could have been a powerhouse record with lasting ability.
Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij collaborated with frontman Wes Miles on two songs on the record, “Water” and the title track.
The band’s third album, “Beta Love,” was better as a whole, but “Need Your Light” doesn’t stray from Ra Ra Riot’s signature electronic pop sound. This album cements the band’s position within its genre, but doesn’t do much to reach anyone outside of the primary audience.
Ra Ra Riot’s music is marked by heavy synths, strings and indie rock influences. The violin is the most underrated element on the album, which is mostly artificially constructed.
Overall, the tracks contain positive lyrics with a happy-go-lucky vibe.
“Absolutely” is reminiscent of a teen summer anthem, with vague lyrics and a catchy beat, but void of any real substance. The closing track “Suckers” is slower and dreamlike.
The record is a testament to frontman Miles and shows the strength and progression of his lead vocals. He has an impressive range that stands out from the group, but his voice isn’t properly used to propel the substandard tracks.
Besides one or two tracks, the album isn’t very memorable and doesn’t leave an impression on the listener. If you’re familiar with Ra Ra Riot’s music, you’ll like “Need Your Light,” but it doesn’t speak to the band’s long-term success.
Ra Ra Riot is good at producing fun, catchy dance music, but lack lyrical depth in their songs. The entire record has an pop feel to it, a series of throwbacks to form a background party soundtrack, but no one would listen to it for its merit alone.