Ra Ra Viper team up with Little Guilt for gorgeously hazy indie single, 'Half Asleep Behind The Wheel'
Photo credit - Rhys Rogers
Following the success of their acclaimed debut album Big Speak, Fremantle indie rock outfit Ra Ra Viper return this September with their sophomore album, Ra Ra, led by the dreamy new single, 'Half Asleep Behind The Wheel (feat. Little Guilt)'.
A collaboration born from years of friendship with fellow WA band Little Guilt, the track blends shimmering guitars, hypnotic rhythms and lush synth textures into a cinematic indie rock sound inspired by dream pop and shoegaze.
In ‘Half Asleep Behind The Wheel’, WA’s Ra Ra Viper and Little Guilt craft an exercise in quiet restraint. Gorgeous, hazy movements build and build, teasing a cathartic release before gently pulling back to a sleepy, dreamlike pace. The wash of airy synths, the lulling guitar strums and floor tom pulse all evoke that late-night drive home, fighting off the pull of sleep with the window down, cool air against your skin and the dotted white lines slipping hypnotically beneath the headlights. The duetting between Ra Ra Viper and Little Guilt feels like overlapping midnight inner monologues, each voice adding another layer of quiet vulnerability. It’s a beautifully bittersweet track that invites you to pause the rest of the world for three and a half minutes.
Exploring emotional exhaustion, late-night drives and quiet introspection, the single captures the creative freedom that defines the band's new record.
"With this album we wanted to capture a lighter and happier sound, something simple and close to home that reflected the roots of us as a band," Ra Ra Viper explain.
"We wanted to have as much fun with the process as we could, and the result feels more energetic, exciting and closer to who we are as people.”
Recorded with longtime collaborator Andrew Lawson at Debaser Studios in the Perth Hills, Ra Ra embraces experimentation, with instrument swapping, unusual textures and even rough demo recordings from the band's back shed making their way onto the finished album when they captured a feeling that couldn't be recreated in the studio.
The release follows a remarkable run for Ra Ra Viper. Their debut album Big Speak earned national radio support and festival appearances at SummerSalt, Yours & Owls and Party in the Paddock, before the band joined The Wombats on their Australian tour and Old Mervs on a 20 plus-date North American run across the US and Canada.
Their latest single, 'Half Asleep Behind The Wheel (feat. Little Guilt)’, has already earned a triple j Home & Hosed First Play, alongside Spotify editorial playlist support across New Music Friday ANZ, New Music Friday Sri Lanka, New Music Friday Bangladesh and Local Noise, while surpassing 25,000 Spotify streams in its opening weeks.
Now attracting close to 100,000 monthly Spotify listeners and a growing international audience, Ra Ra Viper continue to establish themselves as one of Australia's most exciting indie rock exports. With Australian and New Zealand touring currently in the works, followed by a European tour, Ra Ra marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the band.
'Half Asleep Behind The Wheel (feat. Little Guilt)' is out now on all streaming platforms.
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