Ria Rua is an Irish alt-pop artist from Cavan (how do Cavan keep doing it?!), who originally started off drumming but now focuses on her own productions. I'm glad she did. What stands out for me when listening to Ria Rua are the amazingly creative productions, which at times are simply spine tingling. The sound is ambitious and diverse and very modern. I'm reminded a lot of industrial rock such as Nine Inch Nails and that comes from Ria Rua being a musician and song writer herself but the productions also have a radio friendly, pop vibe for the most part.
Ria Rua has released several singles to date and they're all brilliant in their own way. I love the 2023 single, I Want You. I'm obsessed with the sense of Irishness in the delivery of the title line. It's like Enya meets Trent Reznor. It's a fucking great song with a dirty, gritty bass line as the foundation for a class vocal melody. Asking For It is another stomper of a song with as groovy a chorus melody that you'll find. I Don't Care is a nice slow paced edgy pop song and the production on, You'll Only Like Me When I'm Dead is seriously impressive. The drumming stands out a lot for me on this track. I love the rhythm changes. Don't Kill My Vibe is another great blend of pop, rock and dance while mixing in that quirky creative insanity that I don't think I've heard many master. Ria Rua has mastered it and owns it.
The latest single from Ria Rua is called, I Love That For You. It features one of best intros you'll find anywhere. The first twenty seconds are out of this world, where the drums and synth and well timed melody introduction have warped my mind. The rest of the song lives up to the hype and is another slower paced industrial pop song that features another great mix of styles and emotions, where it feels like our hero is ready to break free.
Ria Rua comes across like a very honest artist who feels that music is her destiny, her lifeline and her tonic. She's on a journey of self discovery and development. It's not something she wants to do. It's something she has to do. That's the vibe I get and what I feel when I hear her music. I like her musical ambition and feel that she has something special. I would hope that she believes in herself and keeps following the path that she's on.
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