Ranking every Slowdive album from worst to best
Conceived by childhood friends Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell, the Reading rock band Slowdive arrived in 1989. Contrary to popular belief, the name was derived from a hazy, inspiring dream Halstead had in the late-1980s. Indeed, many fans believe the group to have been named after the 1982 single of the same name by Siouxsie and the Banshees; alas, Goswell, a keen Banshees fan, protested the name for that very reason. Alas, she was outvoted by her bandmates.
One can only hope that, over the past three decades, Goswell has come to appreciate the name as a vivid reflection of the band’s sonic orientation. Combining the moody, gothic post-punk sound reminiscent of the Banshees with a more placated, contemporary shoegaze aesthetic, Slowdive lived up to the name through their early releases.
In their earliest incarnation, Slowdive released a series of EPs before asserting a strong presence in Just for a Day, their 1991 debut album. As one of Alan McGee’s shoegaze hopefuls, the band took impressive strides through the early 1990s, taking cues from the contemporary vanguard of electronic music. As the Britpop era waxed, Slowdive paid little attention to radio popularity, instead devoting their time to unfettered artistic exploration.
This admirable modus operandi, however, came with its setbacks. In 1995, following the release of Pygmalion, Slowdive were dropped from Creation Records amid mild feuds and a notably light wallet. Halstead, Goswell and Ian McCutcheon subsequently signed to 4AD and continued to create music as Mojave 3, a name better suited to their newfound country influences.
In 2014, Slowdive reunited for Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona and Porto before announcing a fourth studio album in 2017. Since the arrival of Slowdive, the band has remained active on the road and, earlier this year, they announced the arrival of a fifth album.
Everything Is Alive will arrive on September 1st and, thus far, has been previewed by the single ‘Kisses’. As we prepare for the new LP, we feel it’s high time we rank the other four studio albums. Upon its arrival, we will add Everything Is Alive to this list.
Ranking Slowdive albums from worst to best
4. Just for a Day (1991)
Slowdive opened their discographic diary with three EPs, Slowdive, Morningrise and Holding Our Breath, between 1990-91. These early attempts showed progressive competency, preheating the oven for Just for a Day. The sterling debut effort arrived in September 1991 at the height of the UK shoegaze wave alongside such releases as Ride’s Nowhere and My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless.
The album’s only single, ‘Catch the Breeze’, had appeared as the lead track on Holding Our Breath and undoubtedly marks the pinnacle of Slowdive’s early work. Just for a Day perhaps lacks the creative variety and sonic depth of Souvlaki, but with other highlight moments like ‘Celia’s Dream’ and ‘Ballad of Sister Sue’, it’s an essential album for any gothic shoegazers out there.
3. Pygmalion (1995)
After working with Brian Eno during some of the Souvlaki sessions, Neil Halstead became increasingly enamoured with ambient and electronic music. As Halstead once explained that ‘Souvlaki Space Station’ was heavily informed by Eno and Aphex Twin’s pioneering work. When Pygmalion arrived in February 1995, it was evident the band had continued down this avenue of exploration.
In a significant departure from the first two albums, Pygmalion laid waste to dense, shoegaze guitar arrangements, instead opting for ambient compositions. Understandably, the album disappointed some fans expecting Slowdive’s characteristic sound; however, one has to admire the band’s bravery in following their artistic whim.
The album is best known for ‘Crazy for You’ but holds its beauty in a balanced and intrepid underbelly. ‘Cello’ brings an ephemeral ambient biss while ‘Visions of LA’ welcomes the guitar to return front and centre for more delicate undertakings.
2. Slowdive (2017)
In 2014, Slowdive reunited after nearly 20 years apart to perform at Primavera Sound Festival. With the impetus of this successful reunion, the group entered the studio for a comeback album. Released in 2017, the band’s eponymous fourth studio album must be regarded as one of the finest comeback records in rock history. The robust collection held a healthy variety of tempos and moods with a potent DNA less focussed on the textural rhythm guitar typical of the shoegaze genre.
The album was best known for housing the towering hit ‘Sugar for the Pill’, which remains one of the band’s most beloved tracks. Beneath this moody pop exterior, however, the album is chock-full of gems such as ‘Somo’, ‘Star Roving’ and ‘No Longer Making Time’, all characterised by reverberating high-string lead guitar parts. The only major deviation is the final track, ‘Falling Ashes’, an ethereal, piano-driven epic of eight blissful minutes.
1. Souvlaki (1993)
The second album will often go one of two ways for rock groups. Some lament second album syndrome, while others bring perfect refinement to a band’s early and most beloved sound. Fortunately, Slowdive were blessed by the latter scenario when they introduced the near-perfect Souvlaki in 1993 via Creation Records.
Souvlaki brought a more coherent, radio-friendly angle to the shoegaze textures of the 1991 debut. In most retrospective accounts, the album is hailed as a classic of its era, but at the time, reviews were markedly polarised, with some critics panning the dream-pop sound as passé in the face of the blossoming Britpop movement.
Souvlaki was home to a healthy spread of influences, with Halstead citing Joy Division’s late work and David Bowie’s Berlin-era albums as ancestral material. Before entering the studio, Halstead asked Brian Eno to produce the album. While the former Roxy Music legend politely declined, he agreed to spend several days recording with the band. These sessions spawned ‘Sing’ and the Eno cover ‘Here She Comes’.
