Slowdive is a dream pop/shoegaze band that formed in 1989 in Reading, Engla… Read Full Bio ↴Slowdive is a dream pop/shoegaze band that formed in 1989 in Reading, England, United Kingdom. Signed to Creation Records in 1990 and initially championed by the British music press, the band scored a UK top forty entry with their debut album Just For a Day.

The band consists of Rachel Goswell (vocals/guitar), Neil Halstead (vocals/guitar), Nick Chaplin (bass), Christian Savill (guitar), and Simon Scott (drums, 1990-1994, 2014-present); additionally, Ian McCutcheon replaced Scott from 1994-1995. Goswell and Halstead had known each other since early childhood in Reading, Berkshire.

Initial demos were released as the Slowdive EP in late 1990; the band's sound was influenced by the Cocteau Twins and Creation labelmates My Bloody Valentine, featuring heavy use of guitar effects and muted vocals. Reviews in Melody Maker and the NME were enthusiastic, and two further well-regarded EPs followed in 1991 (Morningrise & Holding Our Breath). Their debut LP Just for a Day was written and recorded in six weeks, and was generally felt to be a disappointment at the time. At the same time, the UK music press had started to pick up on the American grunge scene, and the more introspective sounds of Slowdive, labelmates Ride, Chapterhouse and other "shoegazing" bands had fallen from critical favour. American label SBK pushed back the release of Just for a Day after a disastrous viral marketing campaign (involving vandalism of a public statue). In early 1992, the band toured the USA with Ride, and then returned to the UK to record a second album.

The band's second album, Souvlaki, would later become generally the band's most popular and well-received record. The album broke new ground for the band: two songs featured contributions from Brian Eno; "Souvlaki Space Station" was influenced by dub reggae; tracks such as "Dagger" and "Here She Comes" would become indications of the country-rock direction Halstead and Goswell would take a few years later; and several songs such as "When the Sun Hits" and "Alison" continued the style of the first album, but with improved songwriting. Initial copies of the UK version came with Blue Day, a compilation of most of the early EP tracks originally released as a separate album in Japan and some European countries. Later in the year, the band also released the 5 EP, containing four songs showcasing the influence of ambient techno; the lead track "In Mind" was also remixed by Bandulu and Reload (both then signed to Creation's dance label).

As with the first album, SBK delayed Souvlaki's release, and the band found themselves touring the USA in the summer of 1993 as Catherine Wheel's supporting act with no product to promote. The US version of Souvlaki was eventually released in early 1994, and included "Some Velvet Morning" (originally recorded for the Volume 7 compilation) and three of the tracks from the 5 EP. When Slowdive were finally able to tour America to support the album, SBK withdrew their funding halfway through; two further tours in 1994 were entirely funded by the band.

Simon Scott left amidst creative differences in 1994; he was replaced on drums by Ian McCutcheon. The band had almost become a Halstead solo project by the recording of their final album, 1995's Pygmalion. A critically misunderstood and widely-misinterpreted "ambient" record, Pygmalion took the dreamy guitar sound and warm-yet-solemn tone of earlier Slowdive to a newer, more minimalist extreme, similar to earlier dream pop bands such as A R Kane, or bands such as Labradford.

Slowdive was dropped by Creation in 1995 a week after the release of Pygmalion; Halstead had been warned before the recording of the album that the relationship with the label would end unless he delivered a "pop album". A legend arose that the band was dropped due to the Gallagher brothers refusing to sign Oasis to Creation if Slowdive and their counterparts remained on the label's roster, although Oasis had in fact released their debut single almost a year before Pygmalion.

After being dropped from Creation, Slowdive eventually went on hiatus later in 1995. Neil Halstead, Rachel Goswell and Ian McCutcheon recorded an album of country-influenced songs, and were signed to label 4AD, changing the band name to Mojave 3. Halstead and Goswell have also both released solo albums for 4AD.

Christian Savill went on to form Monster Movie, a dream pop group that continued where Slowdive left off. They have released three albums thus far, Last Night Something Happened, To The Moon, Transistor, and—most recently—All Lost.

Simon Scott formed Televise in 2004, a group which developed the lengthy noise swells and experimental song structures that helped define shoegaze while (also) including a more electronic brand of indie rock.

Eventually, all of Slowdive's albums were reissued in late 2005. Just For a Day included a bonus disc with all tracks from the first three EPs, and the three songs recorded for a John Peel session on 26 March 1991. Souvlaki included a bonus disc with all the remaining EP tracks, as well as "Some Velvet Morning" (originally recorded for a compilation). Pygmalion—which had become a collector's item in the years since its release due to it never being issued in the USA—contained no extra material, however.

On January 28, 2014, following a 12-day countdown and the appearance of an official website and Twitter account for the band, Slowdive announced their reunion with the Just for a Day/Souvlaki-era line-up including Simon Scott as drummer. The band was confirmed the same day to be playing the 2014 Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona, Spain. 2014 saw the band go on a 5 month, 40 date long tour. In January 2017, Slowdive released their first new single in 22 years on the Dead Oceans label. Another single and a self titled fourth album followed in May 2017, preceded by another single, "Sugar for the Pill".

In September 2020, Slowdive announced they had begun work on their fifth studio album. In April 2023, the band confirmed on a podcast that they had finished their new album. The lead single "Kisses" was released on 20 June 2023, and later that month the band played the Glastonbury Festival for the first time. The album's second single "Skin in the Game" was released on 18 July 2023, followed by "The Slab" and "Alife" in August, and the album Everything Is Alive, was released on 1 September 2023.

Falling Ashes
Slowdive Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Boy, I'm the man
You're the ghost in this town
Could this be it
Your final words, your own
We rolled the bed
Piece by piece, primaplank
Then gathered in light
You were the grace of my night

Thinking about love
Thinking about love
Thinking about love
Thinking about love

And I past
The years tumble down
He's living alone
The only life that you know
California, I thought I saw ya'
Love of my life, grace of my night

Thinking about love
Thinking about love
Thinking about love, thinking about love
Thinking about love, thinking about love
Thinking about love, thinking about love
Thinking about love, thinking about love
Thinking about love, thinking about love
Thinking about love, thinking about love

Thinking about love
Thinking about love
Thinking about love, thinking about love
Thinking about love, thinking about love
Thinking about love, thinking about love
Thinking about love, thinking about love
Thinking about love, thinking about love

Thinking about love, thinking about love
Love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Slowdive's song "Falling Ashes" are somewhat elusive and open to interpretation. It seems to narrate a story of two people who were once close but are now apart. The first verse establishes a dynamic of a man who is still present in their town and a woman who has become something of a ghost. The next lines suggest that this could be the end of their story, and the man is perhaps delivering his final words to the woman. The image of the rolling bed and gathering in light could imply that they are either disassembling their shared space or moving on from it. The refrain of "Thinking about love" appears to be the singer's own musings as he reflects back on his past with this woman.

The second verse moves forward in time, suggesting that the years have passed and the man is now living alone. The reference to California and the "love of my life, grace of my night" hints that perhaps the singer and the woman were once in love and might have had a special connection to a specific location. The refrain repeats, as if the singer is still stuck on this idea of love and what it means to him.

Overall, "Falling Ashes" seems to be a wistful reflection on past love and the way that time can change people and relationships. The repeated refrain of "Thinking about love" suggests that the singer is still grappling with these memories and feelings, even if they are no longer a core part of his life. The song's dreamy, melancholic vibe matches the bittersweet sentiment of the lyrics, creating a beautiful and memorable whole.

Line by Line Meaning

Boy, I'm the man
I feel confident and responsible, like a man.

You're the ghost in this town
You live like a ghost, not present and unnoticed in this town.

Could this be it
Is this the end of us?

Your final words, your own
What are your last words? They belong to you.

We rolled the bed
We disassembled the bed, part by part.

Piece by piece, primaplank
We carefully took apart the bed, starting with the plank.

Then gathered in light
Afterward, we came together in the bright light of the room.

You were the grace of my night
You were the joy and beauty of my night.

Thinking about love
My mind keeps returning to thoughts of love.

And I past
I continue to move forward, despite the passing of time.

The years tumble down
The years pass quickly and disorientingly.