Words by Molly Inglis.

A roaring, debut album encapsulating a darker indie-rock sound, shaking you to your core. With elements of twangy guitar riffs and shiny electronic synth patterns, Ra Ra Viper’s debut record Big Speak will bring a bit of nostalgic melancholy into our Aussie Summer season. 

The five-piece based out of WA (a state that is producing some of the best upcoming talent), has caught the attention of national radio station Triple J with tracks Pinkies and Howler both debuting on Triple J’s Home and Hosed program, going on to be spun on radio stations nationally. 

Big Speak is the band’s debut record, having pushed themselves to experiment with technical arrangements, whilst incorporating the electric energy of the band’s live performances throughout the album. 

Ra Ra Viper is a band I’ve had my eye on for a while now ever since the release of the track Tora, and Big Speak has been a highly anticipated album for myself. 

The album kicks off with the tracks After the Show and Pinkies, with Pinkies being a track birthed from a demo, inspired by the instrumentation of Dandy Warhols and Royel Otis. With dreamy vocals and a stacked collection of emphatic guitar parts, the track evokes a nostalgic feel, for listeners and the band themselves. 

The title track Big Speak was the first song written and recorded for the album, coming about through a very organic process when pushed by producer Andy Lawson to become experimental within their sound and technical ability. The track reflects on how if we aren’t careful with privilege, it can come back to bite us, paired musically with deep bass lines and a spacey guitar solo. 

The track sets into a darker nuance of the album paired with the tracks Mothballs & Losers that follow. 

Howler sits in the center of the album and disregards the melancholy for an upbeat style with gritty vocals and muddy guitars. It’s a track you can imagine going crazy in the mosh to and being an electric live performance. 

The haunting lyrics in the track 4 AM Child paired with its steely composition, highlight’s the band’s influences such as Fontaines D.C. and IDLES. The lyrics “feeding your dreams with cheap gasoline, while we’re drinking wine,” really stuck with me on first listen, with elements of the phrase repeated again, packing in a punch. 

The following track Ode to David is one minute and five seconds of instrumental, beginning with chatter and slowly fading into a symphony of synths and electronic sounds. It comes as a subtle pause for the audience to get lost in a collection of sounds. 

Shark then brings the tempo back up to speed, followed by the track Red Heels & Razor Blades which has a strong drum pattern, contrasting brilliantly with the crispy, darker guitar sounds throughout the song. These elements push back between one another, both wanting to be the focus of the listener. 

The final track Storm features deeper vocals, and pulsing synths, drawing the album to a close with vocals where you can physically hear the pain and strength they are being sung with.

The track then leaves the listener with a bundle of electronic noise fluttering around before silence, to take in the emotional, lyrical and sonic escape to which this album entails. 

This is album that takes the listener on a sonic journey, with gut-felt, heart-wrenching lyrics, having been reflected through immense blood, sweat and emotion resulting in a stunning debut album. 

Ra Ra Viper takes their debut record Big Speak on a national 5-date tour, kicking off in November. 

LISTEN TO THE ALBUM BELOW