Shoegaze legends Slowdive have announced the completion of their highly anticipated album, marking their first release in six years. Guitarist Neil Halstead confirmed the news during an appearance on the Australian podcast SixPack. The podcast episode, which centers around music from the year 1988, also features Halstead discussing the creative process behind the upcoming album.
According to Halstead, he contributed a significant number of demos for the new record. His influences for this project leaned more towards electronic music, although he noted that the final product would likely end up as an indie guitar-based sound, which is typical of Slowdive. Despite his electronic inclinations, Halstead emphasized that the album is a collaborative effort with the entire band.
“It’s collaborative, but it’s almost like I’m the producer, to get something everyone’s happy with, making five people happy. It’s definitely not my record even if the impetus might be my songs. The references I brought in were electronic-based because that’s where I’m coming from these days, but then it will slowly work its way back to being an indie guitar thing. Sometimes I’m a bit disappointed because all the keyboards will disappear, and my synthwave album has just gone out the window, which is probably a good thing. In some ways, everyone in the band comes from a different perspective. We’ve always been a bit like that, and the best stuff is when we all go, ‘that’s sounding good.’ That’s where Slowdive works best.”
The yet-to-be-named album follows Slowdive’s 2017 self-titled release, which marked the band’s return after 22 years. As fans eagerly await further news, including the new album’s release date, they can catch Slowdive live in 2023, starting with a series of shows in Australia before moving on to Japan for the Fuji Rock Festival. The band is also scheduled to perform at the Ypsig Rock Festival in Sicily, Italy, and the Green Man Festival in the UK later this year.
Fans can listen to Neil Halstead’s interview on the SixPack podcast, which begins around the 20-minute mark:
SLOWDIVE 2023 TOUR DATES:
- April 22: Daydream – Melbourne, Australia
- April 23: The Gov – Adelaide, Australia
- April 24: Astor Theatre – Perth, Australia
- April 27: Metro Theatre – Sydney, Australia
- April 29: Daydream – Sydney, Australia
- April 30: Daydream – Brisbane, Australia
- July 28-30: Fuji Rock Festival – Naeba Ski Resort, Japan
- August 10-13: Ypsig Rock Festival – Sicily, Italy
- August 17-20: Green Man Festival, UK
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