Rosanna In Waves – Ride Or Die
Margate’s alt-pop powerhouse ROSANNA IN WAVES delivers her brand-new single, “Ride Or Die”, ahead of the release of her debut album, Balancing Act, due out on Friday 6th November.
Produced by Tayte Nickols (Pale Waves, Prestyn Smith) and mixed by Ash Workman (Christine and the Queens, Lucia & the Best Boys, Metronomy), “Ride Or Die” blends 80s-inflected electronic textures, shimmering synths and vintage-inspired lyrical references with a sleek, modern production to create a mesmerising pop record. Rosanna’s distinctive accent brings a Brit-pop edge to the track, evoking the spirit of Lily Allen and Kate Nash, while grounding it in a sound that feelsdistinctly her own. There’s a tension throughout, between the heartfelt lyrics from a woman in love and the darkness of the production suggesting something bubbling under the surface – showcasing Rosanna’s vivid ability to craft layered pop songs that are never quite as they seem; a marker of the full project to come in November.
Driven by its pulsing drum beat and the vibrant sonic arrangement, “Ride Or Die” depicts a sepia-tinted, Hollywood romance: “Boy beautiful as Elvis, so I had to make you the king / and we’ll ride along together in our burgundy VW” but in juxtaposing this with the grittier backdrop a South-East England motorway and the idea of taking a bullet for your lover: “Racing down the A2 / you know the road is gonna be long but you know I’d take a bullet for you”, there’s a more sinister undertone to the romantic atmosphere, portraying a relationship that extends beyond love into codependency, by two misfits on the road not really sure where they are headed and unable to turn back, but what they do know is that they’re in this together now no matter the consequences – quite literally, each other’s “Ride Or Die”.
Speaking on the track, Rosanna states: “This song first started as a self-produced demo. I wanted a kind of ratchety synth that sounds almost like a car backfiring. When I took it to the studio with Tayte, we kept a lot of the first demo, and he helped to flesh it out with piano and those childlike drums. There’s definitely something ‘wild west’ in it about the production. I’ve always been obsessed with road movies like ‘Natural Born Killers’, ‘True Romance’, ‘Thelma and Louise’. This song is inspired by that feeling where you’d do anything for the one you love, even if it means doing time.”
Rosanna in Waves first gained attention with her 2024 EP Restless, gathering over 100K streams, marking a confident emergence into the UK’s pop landscape. Blending influence from the sounds of Kate Bush, New Order and Robyn to science fiction, Shakespeare and the documentaries of Adam Curtis, her unique storytelling and powerful vocals have established her as a distinctive new voice in UK pop. With tastemaker support from the likes of NOTION, EARMILK, LOUD WOMEN and CLOUT MAGAZINE, alongside radio support from BBC 6MUSIC and BBC INTRODUCING, Rosanna in Waves establishes herself as a confident and assured songstress within the UK’s contemporary pop landscape, poised to continue momentum with the release of her debut album in November.
#rosannainwaves