The Ramona Flowers Release New Single 'Dangerous'

Bristol-based band The Ramona Flowers have released their new single, “Dangerous” via Distiller Records. Exploring the theme of dependency, the song delves into the relatable struggle of engaging in a risky yet addictive act that profoundly impacts one's life trapping them in a never-ending cycle of surrender and repetition.

The groove filled ear worm was produced by Dimitri Tikovoi (Charli XCX, Becky Hill, MNEK, Purple Disco Machine) and was written by the band, alongside Jamie Reynolds and Jon McClure.  Speaking of the track, the band said: This song is about dancing with danger. There are times in life when you give into temptation. You know you shouldn’t do it, but you do it anyway.” 

“Dangerous” follows their last single “Up All Night” feat. Nile Rodgers which reached top-25 at US Alt Radio, made their first Billboard chart entry, drove millions of global streams and was featured in NBA 2K24 which has sold over 135 million copies. 

Along with their biggest radio hit of their career, The Ramona Flowers have toured in North America, The UK and Europe with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Circa Waves, Muse, Barns Courtney, Tom Grennan, The Libertines and more on the road.

In early September, the band will be part of the global launch of Dyson’s brand new OnTrac headphones. Next month will also see their return to this side of the Atlantic for a string of radio festivals.

More on The Ramona Flowers and Distiller Records

The Ramona Flowers got their start in 2012 gigging around their hometown of Bristol, a city still steeped in the legacy of trip hop and dance music. While Dyson and his bandmates, Steve Bird (vocals), Dave Betts (keys, guitar), and Ed Gallimore (drums), hit the scene as a rock band, they had a flexible definition of “rock” in mind. “Growing up, I loved guitar music, but while I was playing guitar at home, I was also going out clubbing, listening to dance music, meeting DJs. In Bristol, that crossover is all happening at the same time,” Dyson says. 

The Ramona Flowers released their debut LP, Dismantle and Rebuild, in 2014 via Dyson’s own Distiller Records, an independent label he founded out of love for his local music community and frustration with the treatment small artists often experienced when they signed to majors. “I saw how little care or attention was paid to nurturing new artists. Friends of mine would sign huge deals and then their albums would get shelved, and they couldn’t get out of the contract,” Dyson says. “I didn’t have a clue, and I didn’t know anyone, but I started taking meetings, knowing I wanted to support new and emerging artists in the really difficult early stages of a career.” Dyson’s paying that luxury forward with Distiller, recently signing a handful of new artists he excitedly talks up with the enthusiasm of a lifelong fan, all while managing the affairs of The Ramona Flowers, who, over a decade in, have finally met their moment.

Since it officially launched in 2009, Distiller Records has grown into Distiller Music Group, becoming a venerable force in the U.K., championing celebrated artists like Danny Goffey (Supergrass),Reverend And The Makers,Sports Team and of course, the Ramona Flowers. The band followed up Dismantle and Rebuild with Part Time Spies (2016) and Strangers (2018) along with three EPs and a smattering of one-off singles, including “Up All Night.” Andy Barlow (Lamb) and Chris Zane (Passion Pit, Jack Antonoff, Holy Ghost!) grace their list of collaborators alongside Nile Rodgers, and in recent years the band has landed tour spots with British mainstay acts like the Libertines, Placebo, and Muse. 

Most recently, the band debuted Hey You, an EP written and recorded in 2020 when, per Dyson, the Ramona Flowers experienced a creative and collaborative rush like no other. Decamping to a studio in Ireland, the members of the Ramona Flowers each brought a set of songs to work on, and in a process Dyson likens to “an old school hit factory,” the members got to work alongside producer Dimitri Tikovoi. “We each set up our own production station in the studio and passed tracks back and forth before sending them over to the producer,” Dyson explains. The Ramona Flowers left the sessions with an arsenal of new music in hand, much of which is as-yet unreleased. Some of those new songs were heard on the Ramona Flowers’ most recent tour supporting Barns Courtney in the States, where their reputation for being an outrageously good live band has only grown. That, coupled with a radio tour of various stations on the East Coast has piqued American interest in the group. Dyson attributes the lingering success of “Up All Night” to NBA 2K24, but also to those radio spots, which gave the band an opportunity to pitch themselves to an audience far from home. “We’ve worked hard for a long time, and in those studios, it was gratifying to hear DJs say, ‘We fing love it. We love everything you're doing, and we’ll keep playing you.’”

That promise is a sure reminder that the Ramona Flowers have hits on deck and that they’ve more than earned their moment in the spotlight. “This is so ridiculously British, but I used to be really embarrassed about my backstory, and worried that people would discredit the band, which is bigger than me,” Dyson says. “Now, I’m just incredibly thankful that we were able to pursue this career the way we wanted to. A lot of musicians don’t get this luxury.” Dyson’s paying that luxury forward with Distiller, recently signing a handful of new artists he excitedly talks up with the enthusiasm of a lifelong fan, all while managing the affairs of the Ramona Flowers, who, over a decade in, have finally met their moment. “We wrote an album in lockdown, and since coming out of that, we’ve written another,” Dyson says. “We’ve got a whole catalog of amazing songs that we can’t wait to get out there.”

Photo Credit: Guy Aroch

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