Ra Ra Riot at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Oct. 26 2016. Janelle Huopalainen photo.

Photos - Ra Ra Riot at the Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver, Oct. 26 2016.

– photos by Janelle Huopalainen

Ra Ra Riot opening for Young the Giant on the first of two nights at the Commodore Ballroom.

The Brooklyn-based band is on tour for its latest album, Need Your Light. Their fourth full-length, Need Your Light sees the group “getting back to their house party roots without abandoning the more heady soundscapes they explored with 2013’s Beta Love,” according to a press release.

The first single to be released from the record, “Water”, showcases a heightened level of experimentation found throughout Need Your Light. The track is a collaboration with Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend, Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen). He produced that song as well as the title track. Ryan Hadlock (Vance Joy, Blonde Redhead) produced the second single “Absolutely” and much of Need Your Light.

Originally from Syracuse, New York, Ra Ra Riot is Wes Miles (vocals), Mathieu Santos (bass), Milo Bonacci (guitar), Rebecca Zeller (violin), and Kenny Bernard (drums). The band released its debut The Rhumb Line in 2008, followed by The Orchard in 2010. Two EPs, Ra Ra Riot in 2007 and Can You Tell in 2009, have also been released.

According to a recent piece in the Phoenix New Times, the new record was shaped at least in part by lead singer Miles’ interest in science fiction, particularly the work of William Gibson. Gibson is the Vancouver-based author of the novels Neuromancer, Mona Lisa Overdrive, and, most recently, the 2014 novel The Peripheral.

More photos: