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.
Souvlakie Space Station
Slowdive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(And I don't want to see you)
See you smile inside
(And I don't want to know you)
Faces and I've fallen
(And I don't want to hear you)
Wonder why I'm here now
In asylum don't you see?
In asylum don't you see?
Doors close and feelings flow
Through my mind I feel his
Pictures and I've fallen
Wonder why I'm here now
Curse your soul I don't wanna know you
(And I) curse your soul, I don't wanna know you
(And I) curse your soul, I don't wanna know you
(And I) curse your soul, I don't wanna know you
The lyrics to "Souvlaki Space Station" convey a sense of detachment and disconnection from others. The repeated phrases "and I don't want to see you," "and I don't want to know you," and "and I don't want to hear you" suggest a desire for mental and emotional distance from other people. The lines "closed doors brings open minds" and "doors close and feelings flow" hint at the idea that cutting oneself off from others can lead to new perspectives and emotions.
The lyrics also allude to a sense of confusion and questioning of why the singer is in their current state of mind. The line "wonder why I'm here now" is repeated twice, suggesting a desire for understanding and clarity. The mention of an "asylum" further emphasizes the singer's feeling of being trapped or confined in their mental state.
Overall, the lyrics to "Souvlaki Space Station" convey a mood of introspection and detachment, with a hint of turmoil and confusion.
Line by Line Meaning
Closed doors brings open minds
The privacy of being alone allows for new and insightful thoughts
(And I don't want to see you) See you smile inside
I don't want to witness your happiness because it reminds me of my own pain and sadness
(And I don't want to know you) Faces and I've fallen
I don't want to get to know you because I'm afraid of being hurt or rejected, and the thought of it causes me to feel vulnerable and powerless
(And I don't want to hear you) Wonder why I'm here now
I don't want to listen to your opinions or advice because I'm struggling with my own doubts and uncertainties about my situation and place in the world
In asylum don't you see? In asylum don't you see?
I feel trapped and isolated in my own mind, and I want others to understand the depth of my pain and loneliness
Doors close and feelings flow
The act of withdrawing from others allows me to confront my intense emotions and process them in a healthy way
Through my mind I feel his, Pictures and I've fallen
Despite my attempts to escape from my problems, they continue to haunt me, and I am forced to confront them head-on
Wonder why I'm here now
I am struggling to understand the purpose and meaning of my existence, and why I am facing these difficult challenges
(And I) curse your soul, I don't wanna know you
I am angry and hurt, and in my pain I am pushing people away, even those who may have good intentions and desire to help me
(And I) curse your soul, I don't wanna know you
My anger and bitterness towards others may be unjustified, but I am too consumed with my own pain to see past it
(And I) curse your soul, I don't wanna know you
I am lashing out at others because I am struggling to cope with my own emotional turmoil, and I feel powerless to change my situation
(And I) curse your soul, I don't wanna know you
I am pushing others away because I am afraid of being hurt or rejected, and I don't trust anyone to truly understand or empathize with me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NEIL HALSTEAD, CHRISTIAN SAVILL, NICHOLAS CHAPLIN, RACHEL ANN GOSWELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jacksonmaloney9776
There's not many songs that have the power to create a sensation where it feels like your transcending reality.
@Woowoo888
Listen to apocalypse dreams by tame impala 😳
@dollarsaurus01
@@Woowoo888 no disrespect to Tame but this is pretty hard to touch as far as spaced out psychedelic music goes
@olaf6274
you're*
@JoeJigsy
@@dollarsaurus01 Thoughts on List of People - Tame Impala?
@user-gk4bs3xl8n
@@JoeJigsy don’t compare slow dive to tame impala
@georgeharrison70
This song represents everything that dream pop & shoegaze should aspire to. Souvlaki is truly one of the high points of the 90s, in more ways than one.
@romo2674
Nice
@anthonysclafani3963
Road to Ruin >>>>
@ahriarah2268
No, just, no.