Slowdive: everything is alive

As a band, some may be surprised to learn that Slowdive have almost been around longer on their second run than their first. And having released two albums since their resumption in 2014 that match anything from their first three releases during their first incarnation, it’s safe to say Slowdive’s return has been a fruitful one.

The five-piece, Rachel Goswell (vocals/ guitars/ synths), Neil Halstead (guitars/ vocals), Nick Chaplin (bass), Christian Savill (guitars) and Simon Scott (drums) are the quintessential cult band. While the term ‘cult’ is often afforded to much smaller bands than Slowdive, name me a one during the Britpop and shoegaze era that was denigrated more than them?

They were a band whose vagueness and subtlety drew in outsiders who harboured a similar aloofness, which (in hindsight) subconsciously pushed against the cultural zeitgeist spearheaded by Britpop.

Slowdive were beyond any of that, unfurling a beautiful explosion of noise that was like a new form of psychedelia. Led with gentle brushstrokes and rolling washes of reverb, Slowdive’s music had a unique way that unlocked certain parts of the mind. While slightly goth in aesthetic (led by Goswell), Slowdive’s message was primarily through sound, breaking down the boundaries of class and the North/South divide which was amplified throughout the era during that tiresome war between Oasis and Blur.

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Perhaps people weren’t ready for a band whose emphasis on sound outweighed everything else. A head-type music designed for escapism in an era where the masses yearned for anything but, however this is exactly why outsiders were drawn to them, essentially making Slowdive the cult band they are today. Of course, there is the small matter of Souvlaki – one of the few albums that still stands the test of time in comparison with many others from the era.

Slowdive continue to march on. While shoegaze is a term often over-egged where their music is concerned, the last decade has seen the band reap the rewards of their past. Yes, there were reunion tours, but unlike many where pay checks and nostalgia were the focal point, Slowdive have had something more to offer.

Having seen them at the Liverpool Arts Club back in 2017, it really was a performance for the ages. That’s a hard thing to admit as you get older, for it becomes more difficult to differentiate every guitar band you see. Not Slowdive. There was something magical in the air; a spirituality, and while the latter peeked through the cracks on their wonderful self-titled comeback album of the same year, it’s the feature hallmark on their latest release, everything is alive.

A lot has changed since Slowdive, and not withstanding a global pandemic, there has been personal loss within the band’s ranks; the death of Goswell’s mother and Scott’s father – both events undoubtedly influencing the final outcome of everything is alive. An album that once again sees the band moving with the times, as they grow older and experience the peaks and troughs of this life.

And it starts with the soft metallic echoes of shanty – a rolling mist of slow-motion majesty, as flanged guitars grapple with a new strength of emotional intensity. It’s yet another excellent album opener from a band that has produced many.

The gentle new wave vibe of prayer remember sounds like something that could have been a part of the Pygmalion sessions. And while it’s ironic that Scott wasn’t involved with that release, his work behind everything is alive is paramount. A prominent ambient solo artist who has spent the last three decades making Kranky-inspired nightscapes, Scott helps steer these songs closer to that sound world.

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Meanwhile, alife sees Halstead join Goswell during this wonderful crossover of new wave and dream-pop. So too on lead single, kisses, which sees Slowdive blurring the lines of so many styles and subgenres, almost shifting the needle by stealth.

Halstead takes the reins on andalucia plays – a folk-inspired lullaby that wouldn’t look out of place amongst his underrated solo body of work. However, with the standard sonic embellishments that pull you completely into their world, it’s essential Slowdive.

And that remains on skin in the game. A song that doesn’t just pull at the same heartstrings, it severs them. An immaculate conception of Blue Skied An’ Cleared and When the Sun Hits, skin in the game is an eddying reverie that’s like listening to music in freefall, crystallising the Slowdive experience.  

As the cascading rush of sounds of the slab close the latest Slowdive chapter, it ensures the band are as relevant now as they were all those years ago in what is a releases that grows stronger as each day passes. They say the key longevity is to keep reinventing yourself, however Slowdive move with the times the same way they do with age: gracefully, and truly being themselves. Slowdive maintain their unified front, and on everything is alive the forward-thinking ideas continue flow as they always have.

Everything is alive is out now via Dead Oceans. Purchase from Bandcamp.