Japanese idol-gaze heroes RAY announced details of their fourth album yesterday, and after 2022’s Camellia, which took their album naming convention towards the floral, they’re back to colours – White will be out on October 1.
They’ve expanded their influences since their 2020 debut Pink, which owed more than a debt to their former incarnation as the very ‘gazey ……., but across all their records they could always be counted on at least a few bangers celebrating loud fuzzy guitars, J-pop melodies, and intricate choreography you can somehow hear through your speakers.
They’re doubling down on their shoegaze bonafides – the buoyant, synthy, and English-sung first single “Bittersweet” is written and produced by Ride’s Mark Gardener with arrangements by For Tracy Hyde/AprilBlue mastermind Azusa Suga, who has written for RAY on all of their records to date; Hata Yusuke of J-gaze heroes Cruyff In The Bedroom also has credits on the record.
Suga posted his thoughts on the track on Twitter:
And the band shared a congratulatory note from Gardner on the single’s release:
Only audio for now, but hey – there’s already a bass cover video for the song courtesy low-end RAY superfan 折鶴! That’s fast.
