Ra Ra Riot On Their Way Way Here

By Sarah Cobarrubias in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 13, 2010 5:20PM

We’ve been patiently awaiting new material from Ra Ra Riot since they won our hearts two years back with their debut full-length The Rhumb Line. The Syracuse-based indie pop sextet blends effervescent pop with classical elements, adding cello and violin to the standard guitar, bass, keyboard and drum combination. They'll be releasing their sophomore LP The Orchard August 24, and in support of the album, the band has scheduled an impossibly extensive North American tour, kicking off late September and making its way to the Metro October 5.

The Orchard is expected to be full of super-sweet, catchy pop, and even the band says it’s going to be “so poppy you will want to throw up on yourself.” This only makes sense - the band produced the album with the help of bittersweet pop gurus Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend. Not to mention, the album was written and recorded in the picturesque setting of an old farmhouse surrounded by a peach orchard.

Just to tease us, the band is releasing short video previews of three tracks from the new album, two of which are already available on their official site. The first preview, “Keep It Quiet,” features the album’s closing track and gives us a peek at the gorgeous orchard that inspired the title. Yesterday the band released their second preview, featuring a live performance of the track “Too Dramatic.” Keep your eyes open for the release of the last preview, “You and I Know,” and hopefully a single to tide us over until the album becomes available.

Ra Ra Riot plays Tuesday, October 5 at the Metro, 3730 N Clark, 9 pm, $18, 18+