Beta Love by Ra Ra Riot

Beta Love is the third album from Syracuse indie rockers Ra Ra Riot, released on Barsuk, and it's the one where they let the robots in. It was their first record without founding cellist Alexandra Lawn, who left the band in 2012, and rather than paper over the gap they changed the whole palette.

The band have said the songs were shaped by the science fiction of William Gibson and the machine-age futurism of Ray Kurzweil, and you can hear it: glossy synths, twitchy electronic beats and a slick, dance-floor sheen where the old chamber-pop strings used to be. "Dance With Me" is the obvious lure, all bright hooks and nervous energy.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.