Ra Ra Riot have announced their fifth studio album, Superbloom, set for release Aug. 9 via Rob the Rich Recordings/Caroline, and unveiled its opening track, “Flowers.”
The album will be the indie rockers’ first release since the four LPs they launched through Seattle indie label Barsuk, who also have Death Cab for Cutie and Ben Gibbard under their wings.
The summery new single was co-written and produced by the band’s frequent collaborator Rostam Batmanglij, once a member of Vampire Weekend, and a songwriter who has worked with the likes of Maggie Rogers and Haim.
“Flowers” follows previously released tracks “Bad To Worse” and “This Time Of Year,” both off Ra Ra Riot’s new album. The full tracklist for Superbloom can be found below.
Upbeat and kinetic, “Flowers” pops off vibrantly as blurred pixels of pinks and greens oscillate around the screen before speeding up to match the opening progression as vocalist Wes Miles launches into the first verse.
“We had it good for two years in the truck until we realized our luck had dried up,” he sings, reminiscing about a past relationship.
Behind the upbeat track are lyrics tinged with regret as the speaker wonders if he should have stayed in the relationship and in the house they shared.
“Do I wonder if I should have stayed? Every night, every day,” he admits.
But even though he’s been dreaming and thinking about the relationship, he knows it’s best left in the past.
“So don’t bring flowers to my grave. Say goodbye from far away,” he finishes to a buoyant backtrack.
Born out of Syracuse University house shows, Ra Ra Riot comprises Wes Miles on vocals, Mathieu Santos on bass, Milo Bonacci on guitar, Rebecca Zeller on violin and Kenny Bernard on drums. The band’s pop-infused single is representative of their new album as a whole, according to a press release, which calls Superbloom “their most extravagantly realized work to date.”
“At the same time, the band maintains the offbeat eclecticism they’ve embraced since first forming as a baroque-pop outfit back in the mid-2000s, embedding Superbloom’s lavish arrangements with elements of psychedelia, new wave, punk and country,” the release continues.
Ra Ra Riot’s last studio LP was 2016’s Need Your Light. The band also celebrated their 10th anniversary and the launch of their debut album The Rhumb Line with a tour last year. The band is back at it again with another busy year of releases, and a new North American tour with Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World, kicking off in Los Angeles on June 14.
Listen to the song yourself, and check out Ra Ra Riot’s 2018 Paste Studio session, the full details of Superbloom and the band’s North American tour itinerary below.
Superbloom Tracklist:
01. Flowers
02. Bad to Worse
03. Belladonna
04. Endless Pain/Endless Joy
05. War & Famine
06. Bitter Conversation
07. This Time of Year
08. Gimme Time
09. Backroads
10. Dangerous
11. An Accident
12. A Check for Daniel
Superbloom Album Art:
Ra Ra Riot Tour Dates:
June
14 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Greek Theatre
15 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
16 – Jacksonville, Ore. @ Britt Festival Pavilion ^
18 – Portland, Ore. @ Theater of the Clouds at Moda Center
19 – Seattle, Wash. @ WaMu Theater
21 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ USANA Amphitheatre
22 – Denver, Colo. @ Levitt Pavilion
23 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Starlight Theatre
25 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
27 – Chicago, Ill. @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
28 – Detroit, Mich. @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
29 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ Summerfest
30 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Farmer’s Bureau Insurance Lawn
July
02 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Jacob’s Pavilion at Nautica
03 – Lewiston, N.Y. @ Artpark
05 – Canandaigua, N.Y. @ CMAC
06 – Portland, Maine @ Thompson’s Point
07 – Holyoke, Mass. @ Gateway City Arts *
08 – Boston, Mass. @ Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
09 – Wallingford, Conn. @ Toyota Presents Oakdale Theater
11 – Wantagh, N.Y. @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
12 – Scranton, Pa. @ Pavilion at Montage Mountain
13 – Holmdel, N.J. @ PNC Bank Arts Theater
14 – Camden, N.J. @ BB&T Pavilion
16 – Columbus, Ohio @ Express Live! Pavilion
17 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ PNC Pavilion
19 – Columbia, Md. @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
20 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Stage AE Outdoors
21 – Charlotte, N.C. @ PNC Music Pavilion
22 – Charlotte, N.C. @ State Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
24 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Ascend Amphitheatre
25 – Rogers, Ark. @ Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion
26 – Irving, Texas @ Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
27 – Houston, Texas @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
29 – Albuquerque, N.M. @ Launchpad *
31 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
August
01 – San Diego, Calif. @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
02 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ The Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino
03 – Irvine, Calif. @ FivePoint Amphitheatre
(* – Ra Ra Riot Headlining Show)
(^ – Third Eye Blind and Ra Ra Riot ONLY)