Ra Ra Riot formed in 2006 on the campus of Syracuse University, where the members were students. Less than six months after the band gelled, the group secured a spot at the CMJ Music Marathon. The appearance garnered praise from the rock press, particularly on SPIN.com, which called Ra Ra Riot "one of the best young bands we've heard in a really long time." The group soon started opening for acts such as Art Brut and Bow Wow Wow and toured the United Kingdom twice before signing to Barsuk Records in May.
"It does feel like it all happened so quickly," says Bonacci, who spoke last week from a tour stop in Albany, N.Y.
"Sometimes it feels like forever," he said. "After CMJ, suddenly there were people who showed interest in us. That made us reevaluate our situation: Maybe we can do this full time. We had to figure out how we would pay our student loans and do this full-time. We've been touring nonstop. Some of us live with our parents when we have free time, but we don't have much free time."
The Rhumb Line is a refreshingly assured first effort from the band, especially given the tragic circumstances under which it was recorded. The group's penchant for balancing heartbreak with effervescence is strongest on such cuts as "Ghost Under Rocks" and "St. Peter's Day Festival," on which Miles addresses Pike's passing.
He sings, "If I go to Gloucester, I will wait there for you."
Although its title would suggest otherwise, "Dying Is Fine" is one of the more optimistic tracks on the album. A few of its lyrics come from an e.e. cummings' poem: "Dying is fine/But maybe I wouldn't like death ... even if death were good."
"I can tell a difference between the songs we played in college and afterward," Bonacci says. "The songs then were more energetic because we were playing house parties. But when we made the album, there was a shift in context. It was more intimate. It had more to do with our artistic curiosities and less to do with getting people riled up at a party."
The band's rapid maturation will be heard on the next project.
"We're still touring a lot," Bonacci says. "But on the next album I'm sure the changes will be clear."
if you go
See Ra Ra Riot at 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 the day of the show and are available through missiontix.com or by calling 410-662-0069.
