The third Ra Ra Riot album will be released on January 22nd on Barsuk Records. Titled Beta Love, this marks the band as a four piece, following the departure of violinist and vocalist Alexandra Lawn.
The remaining members – vocalist Wes Miles, guitarist Milo Bonacci, bassist Mathieu Santos and violinist Rebecca Zeller – based their songs from Beta Love around technological singularity and transhumanism, based on the writings of William Gibson and Ray Kurzweil. Session drummer Josh Freese (Devo, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer) played drums on the recordings.
Miles and producer Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Elvis Costello) both wrote the demo versions of the songs and recorded the entire album at Sweet Tea Studios in Oxford, MS.
The track listing is as follows:
Ra Ra Riot – Beta Love
01. Dance with Me
02. Binary Mind
03. Beta Love
04. Is It Too Much
05. For Once
06. Angel, Please
07. What I Do For U
08. When I Dream
09. That Much
10. Wilderness
11. I Shut Off
Ra Ra Riot will be venturing on an upcoming tour. The dates are as follows:
RA RA RIOT TOUR DATES
* with Passion Pit and Joy Formidable
† with Passion Pit
‡ with Guards
§ with Vampire Weekend & Ultraista
November 14 Setnor Auditorium @ Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
November 28 Lupo’s Providence, RI*
November 29 Liacouras Center Philadelphia, PA†
December 8 Chameleon Lancaster, PA‡
December 9 Arch Street Tavern Hartford, CT‡
December 11 Upstate Concert Hall Clifton Park, NY‡
December 12 Mohawk Place Buffalo, NY‡
December 13 Haunt Ithaca, NY‡
January 23 9:30 Club Washington, DC
January 25 Webster Hall New York, NY
January 26 Paradise Boston, MA
February 2-3 Hostess Club Weekender Tokyo, Japan§
February 7 Venue Vancouver, BC
February 8 Neptune Theater Seattle, WA
February 9 Wonder Ballroom Portland, OR
February 11 Fillmore San Francisco, CA
February 12 El Rey Los Angeles, CA
February 15 Belly Up Solana Beach, CA
February 16 Club Congress Tucson, AZ
February 17 Lowbrow Palace El Paso AZ
February 19 Kessler Theater Dallas, TX
February 20 The Belmont Austin, TX
February 21 Fitzgerald’s Houston, TX
February 23 Proud Larry’s Oxford, MS
February 24 Masquerade Atlanta, GA
February 25 Cat’s Cradle Carrboro, NC
February 26 Grey Eagle Asheville, NC
February 28 A&R Music Bar Columbus, OH
March 1 Metro Chicago, IL
March 2 Der Rathskeller Madison, WI
March 3 Triple Rock Minneapolis, MN
March 5 Blind Pig Ann Arbor, MI
March 6 Lee’s Palace Toronto, ON
March 7 Il Motore Montreal, QC
March 8 Higher Ground S. Burlington, VT
March 9 Pearl Street Northampton, MA