Even despite the break up, 20 year hiatus and continuous change in demand from listeners, Slowdive isn’t just any band. They are, and have been, a band that’s served as the soundtrack of countless yearning-filled and dreamlike nights, of angst-addled teens living through the unfamiliar surroundings and feelings that the 1990s brought.
And now, armed with sonic solidity and an indisputable atmospheric element, their latest album “everything is alive,” released September 1st, 2023, gives listeners a look into how the band has progressed over the years while still sticking to their shoegaze and dreampop-esque roots.
“The tone is always pretty moody with Slowdive, like a darker tone, maybe like slowcore,” said Summit senior Andrew Schelling. “But I think that since it does resemble some of their older music, I can listen to it and like it a lot.”
With the album’s fourth track “kisses” being most similar to a song off of their self titled 2017 release, but “alife” a stark contrast to anything from their sophomore album Souvlaki, Slowdive pulls no punches.
Their intent is clear and as this latest work progresses it holds one constant: enticing the listener to get lost inside and find the soft intimacy at its core.
And though there have been doubts about both the band and the modern progression of shoegaze as a whole, Slowdive seems determined to build on their legacy while establishing something even more special for their second chapter and a newer generation.
