The lyrics are substantial, holding meaning without belting out some repetitive moralistic message.įor instance the lyrics ‘Our love has never known the way/Sugar for the pill/ You know it’s just the way things are’ feel incredibly personal and communicate the melancholy and futility that comes with love. ‘Don’t Know Why’ picks up the pace but is one of the less memorable tracks of the album, and a weaker point before ‘Sugar for the Pill’, a touching stand-out track. The production on the track is key to its success - it is clear that much thought has gone into the placement of each layer, so that nothing is overbearing and the bassline is still audible.
The album then progresses into a more synthy, grainy sound akin to the sound of old-school shoegaze, with ‘Star Roving’ sounding exactly as the title would suggest, with vocal layering used beautifully. Here, and on the rest of the album, Rachel Goswell’s voice stands out as a highlight, hitting the highest of notes without once sounding shrill or forced, complementing the instrumentals. There’s a reason the opening song is this one it’s introducing the album unapologetically, announcing Slowdive’s return whilst remaining laid-back and ambient.
It starts off gently, yet progresses to become strangely catchy and memorable, setting a rich, dream-like tone for the rest of the album. ‘Slomo’ is a lengthy yet punchy opening song. It’s dream-pop but without the overbearing sickly-sweetness that sometimes accompanies the genre, which can sometimes lead to tracks which come across as music composed for dramatic montages in romance films. The vocals are strong enough to be bold and crisp, refusing to get lost or buried below layers of synth and yet soft enough to be unobtrusive.
Shoegaze, dream-pop, ambient - whatever genre the Berkshire band are vaguely categorised as, Slowdive is surprisingly refreshing and original, and yet retains the very distinctive nuances of Slowdive’s earlier work. A self-titled album is unusual at such a late stage in a band’s career, and yet Slowdive’s choice to self-title their fourth studio album - and first album in 22 years - feels perfectly appropriate.
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