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.
Slowdive
Slowdive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But it can't bring me back
I'm dreaming of all the things
I ever thought I had
I'm pushing down
I'm diving deep
Yeah slow dive to my dream
I'm feeling good, yeah
Slow dive, you can't touch me now
I close my eyes
And let the ground slip
From my mind
I'm falling now
I'm diving now
I'm gliding in the sky
Graceful birds will whisper
As I sadly pass them by
He's feeling good, yeah
He's feeling free
Slow dive, you can't touch me now
The opening lines of Slowdive's self-titled song start off with a sense of detachment from reality. The singer hears a voice that cannot bring them back, suggesting they are in a state of disconnect. They are dreaming of everything they have ever thought they had, which could refer to their aspirations or things they were attached to in their past. But they're pushing down, diving deep, and taking a slow dive to their dream, indicating their willingness to let go of those things and embrace the unknown.
In the second verse, the singer continues to let go as they close their eyes, allowing the ground to slip from their mind. They are falling, diving, and gliding through the sky, perhaps metaphorically expressing the freedom that comes with shedding attachments. The graceful birds whisper as the singer passes them by in sadness, illustrating the singer's realization that freedom is not always without cost, and they acknowledge that they must let go of things they were once attached to in order to find that freedom. The final lines reiterate the singer's newfound sense of liberation and disengagement from the past by acknowledging that nobody can touch them in their current state of being.
Overall, the song could be interpreted as an ode to letting go of attachments and finding freedom in the unknown. It's an acknowledgment that the process comes with ups and downs, with both a sense of liberation and sadness, but ultimately leads one to a state of feeling "good" and "free."
Line by Line Meaning
I hear your voice
The singer is hearing the voice of someone else.
But it can't bring me back
The voice of the other person cannot change the singer's current state.
I'm dreaming of all the things
The singer is lost in thought, dreaming of everything they once had.
I ever thought I had
The artist is reminiscing about what they once believed they had.
I'm pushing down
The artist is intentionally trying to move downwards, either figuratively or literally.
I'm diving deep
The singer is diving or diving deep, again either figuratively or literally.
Yeah slow dive to my dream
The singer is slowly moving towards their dream.
I'm feeling good, yeah
The artist is currently feeling positive.
I'm feeling free
The artist is feeling unrestricted or free in some way.
Slow dive, you can't touch me now
The act of moving towards their dream is empowering the artist, and they feel untouchable.
I close my eyes
The singer is closing their eyes.
And let the ground slip
The artist is letting go and allowing themselves to fall or slip away from the comfort of the ground.
From my mind
The singer is releasing their thoughts.
I'm falling now
The singer is currently in the act of falling.
I'm diving now
The singer is currently in the act of diving.
I'm gliding in the sky
The artist is metaphorically gliding through space, feeling free and untethered.
Graceful birds will whisper
The artist is aware of their surroundings and nature.
As I sadly pass them by
The singer is reflecting on their current situation and the feelings that come with it.
He's feeling good, yeah
The singer is still feeling positive and good.
He's feeling free
The artist is still feeling unrestricted or free in some way.
Slow dive, you can't touch me now
The artist is still empowered and feels untouchable on their journey towards their dream.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NEIL HALSTEAD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kris Riot
Masterpiece. "No Longer Making Time" plays twice so the correct tracklist goes like:
01. Slomo 0:00
02. Star Roving 06:52
03. Don't Know Why 12:31
04. Sugar for the Pill 17:08
05. Everyone Knows 21:39
06. No Longer Making Time 26:02
07. Go Get It 37:42
08. Falling Ashes 43:47
Stompy Dobby
Slomo
Give me your love, it's a curious love
Give me your heart, it's a curious thing
Our lady of the shipwreck is
Running through the storm
Her skirts blown back, hands to the fore
My love and I go
It's a curious woe
Like dreamers at dawn
Awake but not yet
You give me your heart
It's a curious thing
Give me your love
It's a curious love
It burns and it slides
It's a curious ride
Give me your heart, yeah
Give me your heart
My love and I go
It's a curious woe
We're younger than clouds, younger than clouds
It burns and it slides
It's a curious ride
Give me your heart, yeah
Give me your heart
LKRod
hey, for anyone who is struggling with mental health issues:
everything changes. everything.
it just does.
including your demons, your shadows, your emotions. yes, even those gigantic flows of saddness and existential guilt. they'll change.
i'm way better now. sometimes i still have that distorted anxiety and those thougths. those thougths that want to reflect madness in my soul and in my small world.
those rotten mirrors always finds their way to come back at me, anchoring their webs in my brain, licking my heart with their nauseating tounge.
but they are not me. they are just a part of me, but not me.
i know it's frustrating to hear this, but it's going to be ok. or maybe not. maybe not now or not tomorrow, but it's going to be better.
at least that's my experience.
Conrad Clipper
@Emilė D Hey thanks! That’s nice. I think I sound pretty pompous in the above comment hahaha. Just my opinion but here are some records that share the same DNA, but with different sounds:
Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (2000)
Protomartyr - Relatives In Descent (2017)
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (1988)
Beach House - Teen Dream (2010)
Ultimate Painting - Ultimate Painting (2014)
The Durutti Column - The Return of the Durutti Column (1980)
Sufjan Stevens - Untitled (All Delighted People Side D) (2010)
These are really special records to me, hope you find something new in here.
We’re all on the same team, protect those who cannot help themselves, stand up for the world you believe in, animals are the soul incarnate, play more guitar.
amo
listen to this indie song (( quiet soul by the Impures )
its ahidden gem :)
yesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvlisten to this indie song (( quiet soul by the Impures )
its ahidden gem :)
yesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvyesvvvvvv
Evan Heer
In the Spring of 2017, my mom attempted suicide and and nearly lost her life. The day this record came out, I sat next to her in the hospital listening to it several times through in the early hours of the morning. As I listened, I was in and out of a light sleep where my mind floated through childhood memories with my mom, and I was overwhelmed with an immense sense of closure and hope for the future. Thank you, Slowdive. Your music is an incredible inspiration.
Alex Jewell
@DIRTYGARDENGIRL yeah it's all a new one on me, I just naturally assume these comments are genuine. Naivety on my part, maybe?
DIRTYGARDENGIRL
@Alex Jewell most people see the blatant falseness in the silly stories that people make up to be in the top comments via symp or mega mass symping??
Alex Jewell
@DIRTYGARDENGIRL Most of us do see it, but it does't warrant the oxygen to reply. x
Akio Honma
Sory for English. I hope you and all that ur love is okey. Or if not ur okey with that. I lost a lot people in my 27. Understand all the energy that music could do . Just sent love and "a hug".be strong!!!!
Tone Tek
@Fine Day Uh uh now you're telling us too much about your emotional baggage! Hyprocrite lol.
Space Alien Jesus
This album is like swimming in the universe.
StephenDedalus74
Absolutely !!!!! :) And by the way, your name is a perfect name, and this is such an excellent choice for the picture !!! :)
charlott garrido
i love you picture.
dillan skatez
This album is like taking a bomb shit in the morning