Rio in the Rain by Ian Rae: Review

by admin May 20, 2025

May 20, 2025

Ian Rae returns with a lush, cinematic dream in his new instrumental single “Rio in the Rain,” a genre-defying track that floats somewhere between bossa nova, film score, and jazzy nostalgia. Known for dabbling (or, as he calls it, “RAEcreating”) across musical landscapes from orchestral epics to trance, Rae goes beyond any constricting box. This track is inspired by a rainy day he spent in Rio de Janeiro, and it’s a shimmering, romantic ode that brings sunshine even in a storm.

“Rio in the Rain” opens with an enchanting flurry of layered orchestral sounds: soft, gliding piano, gentle percussion, swelling strings, and mellow horns that sway like palm trees in a seaside breeze. The texture is instantly transportive, rich yet relaxed, evoking everything from Jobim’s classic “The Girl From Ipanema” to Studio Ghibli-style whimsy. The softness in the instrumentation feels like memory playing out. You can practically feel the warm mist rising off a cobbled Rio street.

Though it’s an instrumental, Rae has penned a wistful set of lyrics that float around the melody. They tell a story about raindrops, Ipanema, a walk that never got rained out emotionally, even if it did physically. This gentle plea revisits a beautiful moment, and maybe gets it right the next time under the sun. The song’s universal sonority may explain why Rae’s music continues to find fans across 140 countries.

“Rio in the Rain” isn’t just a musical postcard from Brazil—it’s an open invitation for global collaboration. Rae hopes singers and lyricists will take the melody and make it theirs in their own language. And honestly, it’s hard not to imagine it sung in Portuguese, Spanish, or even Japanese. For now, though, this instrumental tells its story just fine on its own—quietly stunning, like a memory you didn’t realize you missed.