If you’ve been patiently waiting the two years it took for Ra Ra Riot to drum up some new material, this week has surely turned out to be a good one. I know if I had come around to their greatness back when my best girl had originally given me the heads up, I would be positively chomping at the bit by now to take a listen to Boy, the just released lead single from their upcoming sophomore album, The Orchard. As it stands, I am still doing mental backflips, because whether you discovered Ra Ra Riot back in 2007, or just fell upon them yesterday, you’ve probably taken to their utterly lush chamber-pop all the same.
For those who have already been won over, Boy will probably feel like pretty familiar territory, but that’s a damn good thing when said territory is some of the most dynamic and downright enjoyable indie-rock currently on the market. Few of Ra Ra Riot’s contemporaries manage to make melancholy seem like quite so much fun, and the band has definitely not forgotten how to expertly toe the thin line between hope and sadness. They’ve also still got buckets of those lovely strings to throw your way, only now they’re being augmented with guitars that are noticeably more inspired. And if this is all just a taste of what’s to come next month, then August seems as far away as ever. Luckily, you can stave off frustration a bit by downloading the entire Boy EP from the iTunes store, which means you’ll get not just one, but three brand new Ra Ra Riot songs today!