Ride

Lost heroes of the UK indie scene, Ride's baggy grooves and shoegazey psychedelia helped pave the way for the 1990s britpop craze and stir up a love of jangly 1960s guitar pop. Steered by frontman Mark Gardener and guitarist Andy Bell, the Oxford art school friends united over a love of The Smiths, The Beatles and Sonic Youth, and were signed to Creation Records after Jim Reid of The Jesus and Mary Chain heard their early demos. Championed by Radio 1 DJ John Peel, their 1990 debut album Nowhere became a cult classic adored by a generation of shaggy-haired indie kids and follow-ups Going Blank Again and Carnival of Light both reached number five in the UK Charts. Singles "Leave Them All Behind," "Twisterella" and EP Today Forever all captured a moment of hazy, dreamy guitar-pop at a time when grunge held firm in the US and warehouse raves were all the rage in the UK; but the band split shortly before the release of Tarantula in 1996. Andy Bell went on to form Hurricane No. 1 before joining Oasis and then Beady Eye, while Mark Gardener released solo records and worked with Brian Jonestown Massacre, Supergrass and The Morning After Girls. In 2002, after reuniting to record a segment for a documentary about Sonic Youth, an improvised jam and two soundchecks were released as the Coming Up for Air EP. Mark Gardener continued his solo career, however, and no further talks of a reunion were had until 2014 when they officially reformed for a Europe and North America tour. In 2017 they released their first new single in 21 years, "Charm Assault," followed the next day by "Home Is a Feeling." The album carrying these singles, Weather Diaries, was released later in the year and went to number 11 in the UK. The band found themselves back in the UK Top 10 again with the post-punk-inspired follow-up This Is Not a Safe Place, which was released in 2019 and produced again by Weather Diaries producer Erol Alkan. In March 2024, Ride released Interplay, their seventh album and third following their 2015 reunion. The LP was preceded by first single "Peace Sign" in January 2024.