Shoegaze icons Ride have announced their seventh studio album, Interplay, slated for release on March 29th through Wichita Recordings / PIAS.
This album marks Ride’s third since their 2014 reunion, a period now surpassing their initial run in the 90s. The band’s return has been met with enthusiasm, with many agreeing they’ve now successfully reignited the spark that first established them as forward-thinking guitar legends.
READ MORE: An interview with Ride’s Loz Colbert: ‘Shoegaze visually would be the kind of art Rothko might make’
Interplay follows the path laid by 2017’s Weather Diaries, and 2019’s This Is Not A Safe Place, welcoming both long-time fans and a new generation of listeners.
Produced by the band alongside Richie Kennedy and mixed by Claudius Mittendorfer, the album melds their signature frenetic guitar work and hypnotic grooves with a sound influenced by 80s pop icons like Tears For Fears and early U2.
Guitarist and vocalist Andy Bell shared his thoughts on the album, saying, “This album has taken a long time to make, and has seen the band go through a lot of ups and downs; maybe the most of any Ride album. But it has seen us come through the process as a band in a good place, feeling able to shake off the past, and ready to celebrate the combined musical talents that brought us together in the first place.”
The album’s lead single, ‘Peace Sign’, a synthesis of driving basslines and euphoric 80s synths, serves as a perfect introduction to Interplay. Bell explains the inspiration behind the track, “‘Peace Sign’ started life as a jam… I was inspired by a film called The Alpinist about the visionary free climber Marc-André Leclerc.”
Ride’s story is one of reinvention and resilience. Formed in 1988 in Oxford, the band combined 60s guitar-pop with a new indie-rock sound, earning them a spot in the shoegaze hall of fame with their debut, Nowhere. After disbanding in 1996 amid internal strife, they reunited in 2014 to find a world where their influence was palpable, with bands like Tame Impala and Beach House citing them as an inspiration.
Today, with shoegaze experiencing a resurgence, particularly among Gen-Z fans on platforms like TikTok, Ride’s Interplay arrives at an opportune time, finding the band reaching new creative peaks. The album promises to be a testament to their enduring legacy and continued relevance in the ever-evolving music landscape.
READ MORE: From Shoegaze to Zoomer Gaze: the evolution of a Gen Z musical phenomenon
Ride – Interplay tracklist:
- Peace Sign
- Last Frontier
- Light in a Quiet Room
- Monaco
- I Came to See the Wreck
- Stay Free
- Last Night I Came Somewhere to Dream
- Sunrise Chaser
- Midnight Rider
- Portland Rocks
- Essaouira
- Yesterday is Just a Song
Photo credit: Cal McIntyre
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