Mathieu Santos

Mathieu Santos (b. 1985 in Fall River, Massachusetts) is an American polymath most closely associated with his role as the bassist and co-founding member of indie-pop stalwarts <a href="spotify:artist:6FIrstf3kHEg3zBOyLpvxD" data-name="Ra Ra Riot">Ra Ra Riot</a>.

Santos has been instrumental in developing the band’s distinct aural, visual and conceptual identity, having had a hand in songwriting, arranging, lyric writing, graphic design, liner notes and more. The group has released five critically-acclaimed albums (most recently 2019’s buoyant and ambitious <a href="spotify:album:0FV6wApDnoIGhEbS3DzZi4" data-name="Superbloom">Superbloom</a>) along with numerous singles and EPs (like 2024’s <a href="spotify:album:0YEztVFIx6n2CnDMwMoaOp" data-name="The Wish">The Wish</a> and <a href="spotify:album:6VgGO3YU9mohKAU0d2a5lh" data-name="Friendly Neighbor">Friendly Neighbor</a>) while touring in dozens of countries over the course of nearly two decades. Santos has also shared his bass playing with other acclaimed artists including <a href="spotify:artist:7LLcRttKjV6PeJOlCNCYon" data-name="Cayucas">Cayucas</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1jNnM5dm7dzt16IocWCvJc" data-name="CRUISR">CRUISR</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0jE6H7j0DI1nIQI4mM6BrS" data-name="DD WALKER">DD WALKER</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1bNgeTuV3MlkAq64Ybvcq5" data-name="Delicate Steve">Delicate Steve</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2RQXRUsr4IW1f3mKyKsy4B" data-name="Noah Kahan">Noah Kahan</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2WkXhpsmgr8xeRpfF9Bl1w" data-name="Matt Kivel">Matt Kivel</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6miuYP0AovZaaKpRFaDQMQ" data-name="Spencer Ludwig">Spencer Ludwig</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4Cjsh7anKDaMnQ3YHB1Xwq" data-name="Panama Wedding">Panama Wedding</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:7h0IuoboK8IGcFsS5ey0hj" data-name="Strange Names">Strange Names</a>.

As a solo artist, Santos released <a href="spotify:album:0FbGf5RzyhXw9HqvByeGop" data-name="Massachusetts 2010">Massachusetts 2010</a> in 2011; critics praised the “impressively deep” album as “an enjoyable glimpse into one musician’s fixations” (The New York Times), existing “somewhere between Koji Kondo and Brian Wilson” (American Pancake). In 2024, following the singles <a href="spotify:album:4bJQfe25Mw7co0EwOaXd9x" data-name="Cutting up an Ox">Cutting up an Ox</a> and <a href="spotify:album:4YpYTFmE5Agjz22oIOpAgD" data-name="Suzanne">Suzanne</a>, Santos released <a href="spotify:album:7aYiZy4zUpEftFOtxbXlq3" data-name="Fan Fiction">Fan Fiction</a>, “a madcap assault of cartoon synths, afro-beat guitars, and psychedelic freakouts&#34; (Cone Magazine).