Ride arrived in 1990 with a neo-psychedelic wall of sound that relied on massive, trembling distortion in the vein of
My Bloody Valentine but with a melodic sense that was simpler and more direct. Dubbed by the British music press as shoegazers for their shy disposition and concentration on guitar effects pedals, they nonetheless stood apart from their peers, primarily because of their keen sense of songcraft and dynamics. The Oxford quartet epitomized the designation throughout 1990, a prolific year during which they released three promising EPs and the widely praised full-length
Nowhere, a number 11 U.K. hit.
Ride quickly shed and distanced themselves from shoegaze with
Going Blank Again (1992) and
Carnival of Light (1994), Top Ten U.K. LPs that integrated elements of power pop and folk-rock while emphasizing the ringing harmonies of
Andy Bell and
Mark Gardener. They bowed out amid acrimony with
Tarantula (1996) and worked separately on a multitude of projects across two decades. After some uncertain overtures,
Ride fully reunited in the mid-2010s with touring and festival dates that led to
Weather Diaries (2017) and
This Is Not a Safe Place (2019), sharply defined recordings that returned the band to the upper reaches of the U.K. chart.
Based in Oxford, England,
Ride consists of guitarists/vocalists
Andy Bell and
Mark Gardener, bassist
Steve Queralt, and drummer
Loz Colbert. Formed in 1988, while the musicians were in their late teens, they soon earned a dedicated following through blisteringly loud and highly energized live shows. Signed by Creation Records in 1989, they released their self-titled debut EP, led by "Chelsea Girl," the following January. Not only did British music critics praise the Ride EP, but it climbed into U.K. singles chart as well. The momentum intensified in April with Play (featuring "Like a Daydream") and in September with Fall (including "Taste"), both of which climbed into the low 30s. This all set up the October arrival of
Nowhere, the group's first full-length. It peaked just outside the U.K. Top Ten, driven in part by its finale, the wistful ballad "Vapour Trail." No other band of
Ride's generation developed as much within one calendar year.
After a fourth EP, Today Forever,
Ride properly followed up with
Going Blank Again in March 1992. First single and leadoff track "Leave Them All Behind" went into the Top Ten, as did the parent release on the corresponding album chart, but the band took an extended break following a frustrating promotional tour in the U.S., where their recordings -- like those of Creation labelmates
My Bloody Valentine and
Primal Scream -- had been licensed to the Warner-distributed Sire.
Ride didn't re-emerge until June 1994 with
Carnival of Light, which represented a major shift toward folk-rock conventions. More forebodingly, it separated
Bell's songs from those of
Gardener. Tensions between the songwriters regarding stylistic direction escalated throughout the recording sessions for the next album. Upon the completion of
Tarantula in August 1995,
Gardener left the band and
Bell followed immediately afterward.
Ride announced their disbandment in January 1996, and
Tarantula, lacking a band to promote it, was released two months later.
The members drifted off to numerous projects the next couple decades.
Bell formed
Hurricane #1, later joined
Oasis as the band's bassist, and with
Oasis'
Liam Gallagher moved on with
Beady Eye.
Gardener and
Colbert were in the short-lived Animalhouse. More prominently,
Colbert played with
the Jesus and Mary Chain and
Supergrass, while
Gardener performed as a solo artist and released an album in 2005, then spent the next decade collaborating with a variety of artists.
Bell,
Gardener,
Queralt, and
Colbert did meet during this era, if only to be filmed while performing improvised material for a Channel 4 documentary on
Sonic Youth.
In 2014,
Ride fully reunited and booked a month-long world tour for the following year, including an appearance at the Primavera Sound Festival. The band also returned to the studio.
Weather Diaries, their first album in 21 years, was released in 2017 via indie label Wichita Recordings. Produced by
Erol Alkan and mixed by early associate
Alan Moulder, the LP featured the singles "Charm Assault" and "Home Is a Feeling," and reached number 11 on the U.K. chart. In early 2018,
Ride released the EP
Tomorrow's Shore, a collection of four more tracks recorded during their
Weather Diaries sessions. Continuing to work with
Alkan,
Moulder, and Wichita, they recorded a second post-reunion album,
This Is Not a Safe Place, released in August 2019. It became their third Top Ten U.K. LP. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Andy Kellman