There comes a time when a band gets back together, and time passes… and they have actually been back together longer than they were together the first time! Interplay is actually Ride‘s seventh album, and their third since they announced they were reforming for live dates back in 2014.
There are those who will sneer at bands getting back together, for whatever reason…usually the people who aren’t trying to figure out how to keep a roof over their heads. But in the last few months, shoegaze (or dream pop, for American readers) pioneers Slowdive and the Jesus and Mary Chain have released new albums, and now here come Ride.
Of course, how long Ride were technically shoegaze for is a matter of some debate. Their first two albums, 1990’s Nowhere and 1992’s Going Blank Again are absolute classics of the genre and the accompanying EPs and singles reinforced it. Their third album, 1994’s Carnival Of Light saw a move to a more traditional rock sound. While that album has its advocates, to these ears it was not quite what had made the band so special.
These days, Ride still have a bit of the shoegaze sound about them, but they’ve also evolved. It has been suggested in other publications that there are shoegaze revivalists who sound more attached to what might be termed a ‘classic’ Ride sound than the band themselves do these days. Certainly, the band have incorporated other influences into the record rather than just those peerless first two albums. Probably the best move (even if the thought does persist that Orson Welles peaked with Citizen Kane).
The album opens pretty strongly with ‘Peace Sign.’ Funnily enough, this reminds me of Wire circa 154, and the rhythm section seem to be going for a Motorik’ feel. This ‘krautorock’ influence also reappears in the ambitious but heights-aimed-for-attained of ‘Light In A Quiet Room.‘ This epic track seems to divide into two parts, joined together by a reflective piano part. It’s one of the highlights of the album.
There’s also the New Order-reminiscent tracks ‘Last Frontier‘ and ‘I Came To See The Wreck.’ While I must admit I don’t hear the synth-pop influences that some have suggested, certainly they incorporate these other influences well. Lyrically it’s not a particularly strong album, but then that wasn’t necessarily part of their appeal at any point over the last thirty or so years. While I think the album would have been better slightly shorter (losing ‘Sunrise Chaser‘ and ‘Essaouira‘ would have tightened it up a bit), there’s more than enough here to warrant repeat plays.
