MUSIC
GAZING INTO THE FUTURE Two albums into a second life, Slowdive brings a dreamy sound from across the pond BY CHRISTOPHER PIERCY
W
Heritage Trail, you know? hen a once-great band There are a lot of bands out decides to give it another there who do that, but I think go after years of inactivity, the news is often met with a mixture of we all are, in our own rights, quite creative people, so it exhilaration and trepidation. Will they made sense just to do more dilute their reputation, dimming the magic that made listeners fall in love in music.” the first place, or bolster their status while bringing in new listeners? NO DINOSAUR ACT Such questions swirled around the From the opening moments return of English alt-rock legends of everything is alive, it’s clear Slowdive. Pioneers of the dreamy and this is still Slowdive, but not in distorted “shoegaze” subgenre, the a way that merely retreads After emerging from a decades-long hiatus, English shoegaze legends Slowdive have reclaimed the crown as band’s self-titled album in 2017 marked the same old path. The wash dream-pop royalty. Photo by Ingrid Pop. their first studio release in more than 20 of sound that fans are familiar But the changes of a new era years. But to hear co-founder Rachel with continues to oscillate between mel- only about 12 right at the front barrier,” haven’t dulled Slowdive’s momentum, she says of the band’s recent jaunt to Goswell tell it, those ambient concerns ancholy and euphoria, but the electronas the band continues to enjoy perAustralia and New Zealand. “It’s really didn’t weigh on the process of making ic base that Halstead developed during lovely, and it reminds me of me when I haps the most glowing critical the critically lauded comeback LP. the album’s gestation adds a tasteful response of their career. It’s a contrast “We did it without pressure of a newness to the mix. This is no dinosaur was that age going to gigs — and I to the early days of the band, when would always be at the front record label, and we paid for it ourthe ascendance of Britpop saw the barrier as well. So I think part selves,” says Goswell, who has fickle, trend-hopping British press of it for me is remembering shared vocal and guitar duties with quickly turn on shoegaze. While the that feeling of how I used to Neil Halstead since 1989 when the critical barbs hurt at the time, Goswell feel seeing my favorite bands pair formed the band in Reading, is happy for the warmer reception of and how exciting it was, and Berkshire. “It was more about just Slowdive’s resurrection. being really conscious about seeing how we got on with it — “When you’re younger, it’s much that.” and if it worked, then brilliant.” more bothering having that kind of critLike the band’s previous Slowdive arrived during the icism, and a lot of it did feel very unfair work, everything is alive is an buzzy swirl of shoegaze’s golden album meant to be experienced and like being bullied or picked on at era in early-90s Britain, releasing school,” she says. “[But] one thing as a whole; its constituent parts some of the most beloved and we’ve always done is release the lock into each other in a way a enduring music of the scene records we want to make. It’s very stray track just can’t match. before calling it quits just six years This is something Goswell feels nice to have the love that Slowdive get into their existence. Reemerging in now. It’s a lovely thing and it’s fantastic is missing from the contempo2014 to play the festival circuit, to be able to go out on tour and play rary streaming landscape. and now nearly a decade into a for people. It is one of the things that I “I think there is an imporfruitful reunion, they are back with love the most about being in a band — tance in listening to a record a new album — the sublime every- Slowdive’s fifth LP, ‘everything is alive,’ was released Sept. 1 just that energy exchange you get with through from beginning to end thing is alive — and a U.S. tour via Dead Oceans. an audience at a gig.” because it takes you on that coming to Cervantes’ Masterpiece journey,” says the 52-year-old artist Ballroom in Denver on Oct. 6. act out on one last prowl; this is a conwho fondly remembers saving her “We needed to see how we were temporary band continuing to push paper-route money as a kid to buy a together after such a long break and themselves. And Goswell says a new ON THE BILL: Slowdive new album each month. “And I’m sure how we got on,” Goswell says of the generation of listeners seem to be tunwith Drab Majesty. 8 p.m. for all bands really that’s a considerband’s second life. “Obviously, things ing in. Friday, Oct. 6, Cervantes’ ation in how they deliver albums. So I snowballed for us in a way that we “In Auckland, there was a young girl Masterpiece Ballroom, 2637 kind of wish the shuffle option didn’t couldn’t have imagined was going to in front of [bassist] Christian [Savill] Walton St., Denver. Sold out. exist.” happen. We didn’t want to just do the and I who I swear must have been 18
SEPTEMBER 28, 2023
BOULDER WEEKLY