NEED YOUR LIGHT - Ra Ra Riot

Personnel: Wes Miles (vocals); Milo Bonacci (guitar); Rebecca Zeller (violin); Mathieu Santos (bass guitar); Kenneth Bernard (drums).Recording information: Bear Creek Studios; Echo Park Backhouse Studios; Vox Studios.Photographer: Jared Chambers.Despite having begun life as an indie outfit featuring two string players, Syracuse's Ra Ra Riot transformed into a synth-heavy, dance-oriented ensemble after the departure of cellist Alexandra Lawn in 2010. Following up 2013's Beta Love, the group's fourth album, 2016's Need Your Light, finds the quartet of lead singer/keyboardist Wes Miles, violinist Rebecca Zeller, guitarist Milo Bonacci, and bassist Mathieu Santos building upon that synth pop sound with a buoyant, infectious batch of songs that better balances their love of analog keyboards with their orchestral roots. Produced by former Vampire Weekend guitarist Rostam Batmanglij, Need Your Light feels bigger, looser, and more organically robust than Beta Love. While there is a bright stud