By Mauricio Segura August 26, 2025
Photo: Courtesy of @alexarayjoel Instagram with permission
Alexa Ray Joel is a born-and-bred New Yorker, no questions asked. If you’re already tuned in and have her on your radar, smart move. If not, don’t worry, you’ll thank me soon enough after a detour down Riverside Way.
Her new single doesn’t just mark a release, it marks a reinvention. The track arrives like a sly grin, steeped in retro soul grooves and thick with swagger, yet polished enough to feel completely of the moment. There’s a certain electricity in the way it struts out of the speakers, riding on a rhythm section that feels both loose and deliberate, almost like a late-night jam where the players are locked in on instinct rather than formula. From the very first measures, you hear that her voice doesn’t sit on top of the arrangement, it lives inside of it, curling through the basslines and keys the way smoke winds through neon.
The richness of the sound is evident from the beginning. The chords sway with a smoky, bluesy flavor giving the song a sultry pull, never rushing to resolve, but always keeping you leaning in. As the tension of those chords unfold, at times holding back just long enough to build anticipation, they give the melody a sense of movement and unpredictability. This kind of detail shows thought and craft, a depth beneath a hook that reels the listener in.
Lyrically, Joel calls Riverside Way her “alter ego song,” explaining in an interview with PEOPLE that she wanted to “step into the bad girl… go in a complete 180” from her usual persona. That shift is audible; the lyrics lean into escapism and rebellion, conjuring the image of speeding away with reckless freedom, tires chewing up the asphalt while the heart sprints faster than the engine. It is cheeky but not cartoonish, a playful invitation into temptation and release, and the words mirror the harmonic restlessness of the track itself.
Joel reinforces this sense of pushing her boundaries when she told PEOPLE, “Women are dynamic. We’re filled with complexities and different moods, and we like to explore, especially if you’re a creative like me. I consider it my duty as an artist to always push myself and challenge myself and not stay in one box.”
The music video sharpens that narrative. Directed with a mix of cinematic glamour and playful grit, Joel transforms on screen from soft-focused innocence to unapologetic abandon. The performance gains extra charge thanks to her real-life fiancé Ryan Gleason, who steps into dual roles, a tethered suburban husband and the alluring bad boy. Joel admitted that working with him was “a real treat,” praising his willingness to dive into the fantasy and spark her creativity. The result is a visual story that isn’t just eye candy, it is a character study, a woman tearing down her own fences and gleefully flipping the script on how she’s been perceived.
What makes Riverside Way especially compelling is that Joel isn’t leaning on a safety net. She is consciously moving away from the image of the sweet, piano-ballad crooner and instead reaching for grit, groove, and even a touch of danger. The song is crafted like a journey through tonal colors, gospel-brushed piano chords, hornlike synth stabs, a rhythm section that swings but never tips into chaos, and all of it orbiting around a vocal delivery that slides from sultry whisper to full-bodied belt without ever losing control.
The promise of what’s next is just as intriguing. Joel has teased an eclectic EP to follow, with a melancholic ballad, a torch song in the style of the 60s, and influences ranging from Fiona Apple to Queen. That’s not hype for hype’s sake, it is a signal that she’s stretching her palette, testing different registers, and pushing the boundaries of her artistry. Riverside Way proves she isn’t confined to any single lane, and if anything, she’s most alive when she’s swerving between them.
In the end, what Alexa Ray Joel has delivered here is more than just a catchy tune. It is a statement of artistic independence, a refusal to be boxed in by past expectations. The groove is infectious, the lyrics unapologetic, the visuals seductive, and beneath it all, the musical craft is clever and rewarding enough to deserve repeat listens. Riverside Way is a reminder that when an artist leans into their full range, voice, pen, piano, vision, the result can be thrilling, surprising, and completely liberating.
Follow Alexa on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexa.ray.5
Follow Alexa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexarayjoel/
