If you’ve heard newcomers THE RIOT’s debut tune, you probably won’t be surprised to know they have eclectic taste.

Combining elements of rap, ‘90s alt-rock and R&B, Aussie trio THE RIOT have unleashed a debut single that will have you bopping, blissing and thrashing out at the same time. ‘Dog In The Shade’, which was produced by Matt Corby and his long-time producer Alex Henriksson, is an anthemic critique of the modern world. “We’re saying ‘F*ck the enemy, riot the energy’ and let your voice be your voice regardless of how the world has made you feel,” says lead vocalist JD.

Their shared ethos especially makes sense given their unlikely introduction to each other – one night, Tyler (guitars, vocals) and Scotty (drums) came across JD while he was trying to scale the fence at a venue. From there, a sense of unity arose of shared anger, of shared politics and shared musical interest that wasn’t defined by a particular era or sound. “There’s power in numbers, it’s better than being on your own,” says JD. “[Together] we can get our voices that have been ‘ the unheard’, to be heard.”

The clip is fucking cool too. Combining epic slow-mo shots and euphoric lighting with horror-style VHS moments as the band (can you call them that?) cruise around a seemingly empty city. It certainly adds to the experience of the music, creating something that’s both captivating and packing an emotional punch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRBN44SfD3s

To celebrate the release of the track, we thought we’d get the low-down on the tunes that inspire THE RIOT, and as you’d expect it’s a real mixed bag. Peep it below and head here to stream ‘Dog In The Shade’ on your preferred platform:

Scotty:

Wu-Tang Clan – ‘Bring Da Ruckus’
The raw production on the beat made up of samples and a snare that really cracks makes it impossible not to move your head.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRhRNgqPlyk

Descendents – ‘I’m Not A loser’
This is a song that gave me a unique mix of fists clenched but smiles, aimed high.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiltQYlNot0

Nirvana – ‘Drain You’
This song/band is what made me pick up drumsticks in the first place as well as inspired me to hit hard and lose myself in the moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPsJIOOolWU

JD:

Avril Lavigne – ‘Complicated’
Life is complicated and I relate to that in the highest degree.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NPBIwQyPWE

Dr Dre – ‘The Chronic’ (Whole Album)
This is Dre’s best album and a great great body of work… it’s also is how I met Mary Jane.

Madonna – ‘Papa Don’t Preach’
Well… I like this song because my dad did preach and I hated being the pastors kid growing up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G333Is7VPOg

Daniel Bedingfield -‘Gotta Get Through This’
In high school you know how everybody is known for a specific thing… well when I was growing up Rahzel was the most popular beatboxer in the world. I started beatboxing but the only song I really knew how to beatbox well was this song. somehow people thought I was the greatest beatbox in the world (you know 13-year-olds) just cause I could beat box a few melodies from this song.. So I thank it for giving me some sort of popularity within school.