If we flashback to 2008, we recall Ra Ra Riot debuting their first ever album, The Rhumb Line – giving listeners 10 baroque pop-esque tunes. Jumping ahead to 2013, the latest release Beta Love shifted their musical style towards a more synth-based, future vibe. Today, the band are set to release their new album Need Your Light later this month, and if you think the Syracuse natives have already pulled a 180 on their sound, think again. Fans can expect something entirely new on their fourth full-length.

In an interview with WV Public Broadcasting, lead singer Wes Miles explained that this particular sound shift was influenced by opposing the band's initial baroque pop reputation. He shared: “I am very sick of it. If any musician or artist really wants to express themselves and find something that hasn’t been done before, it’s going to be tough to describe in words. Probably part of what changed us is that we wanted to destroy everything Ra Ra Riot was before and start building it up from scratch. And I think Beta Love was kind of the destruction of all that… So Need Your Light is the reconstruction of who we are and the things that we want to do.”

Need Your Light’s sound is not a complete unknown. Miles revealed that the future tracks will sound warmer. “It’s got a warmth that Beta Love didn’t have, by design. But it’s also, I think, my best vocal performance from start to finish on a record…It’s not getting back to our roots, necessarily, but it’s a warmer, brighter view of the world.”

Ra Ra Riot have released three singles ahead of the album release on February 19, "Water”, “Absolutely” and “Foreign Light.”

Image: Elle