Slowdive (album)
2017 studio album by Slowdive
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Slowdive is the fourth studio album by English rock band Slowdive. It was released on 5 May 2017 by the record label Dead Oceans.[1] It was Slowdive's first studio album in 22 years, following Pygmalion (1995).[1] It was also the band's first album since Souvlaki (1993) to feature the drummer Simon Scott as a member.
- Courtyard (Sutton Courtenay)
- Sound Gallery (Exeter)
- The White House (Kewstoke)
- The Farm 2 (St Merryn)
- Zigzag (Hilton)
| Slowdive | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 5 May 2017 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 46:01 | |||
| Label | Dead Oceans | |||
| Producer | Neil Halstead | |||
| Slowdive chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Slowdive | ||||
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Slowdive was preceded by the singles "Star Roving", released on 12 January 2017,[2][3] and "Sugar for the Pill", released on 28 March 2017.[1]
The album artwork is a still image from avant-garde cut-out animation film, Heaven and Earth Magic (1962), by beatnik artist and polymath Harry Smith.
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.1/10[4] |
| Metacritic | 82/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| The A.V. Club | B[7] |
| Consequence | A−[8] |
| Financial Times | [9] |
| The Guardian | [10] |
| Mojo | [11] |
| The Observer | [12] |
| Pitchfork | 8.6/10[13] |
| The Times | [14] |
| Uncut | 8/10[15] |
Slowdive received acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 82, based on 30 reviews.[5]
TJ Kliebhan of Consequence found that Slowdive had "delivered a fresh dream-pop sound that is still uniquely Slowdive", concluding that "Slowdive delivers nearly everything their fans desire in a return: familiarity, innovation, and vast atmospheres to get lost in."[8] The Skinny's Duncan Harman said that the album "represents an awareness of legacy, and the importance of not pissing all over it; to that extent, it's an essential addition to canon."[16] Drowned in Sound reviewer Dom Gourlay called Slowdive a "majestic return that doesn't just fill in the gaps, but points unflinchingly towards future horizons."[17] Sean T. Collins of Pitchfork said that the album "offers maximum-volume shoegaze too, better than the band ever has before",[13] and Cam Lindsay of Exclaim! wrote that it "certainly was a long wait, but finally Slowdive have given us the album that we have been dreaming about for the last 22 years."[18]
In October 2025, Paste ranked the album at number 237 on their "250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far" list, writing: "Every song is breathtaking, from the soaring opener "Slomo" to the melancholic "Sugar For the Pill". While it’s not as risky and experimental as Pygmalion, it thrives in its simplicity, with a precise attention to detail where each instrumentation fills its purpose to create Slowdive’s most atmospheric record yet."[19]
Accolades
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crack Magazine | The 100 Best Albums of 2017 | 13 |
|
| Exclaim | Top 20 Pop & Rock Albums of 2017 | 3 |
|
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2017 | 30 |
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| The 20 Best Rock Albums of 2017 | 8 |
||
| Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums of 2017 | 15 |
|
| A2IM Libera Awards 2018 | Album of the Year 2018 | 1 |
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| Opinion Police | The Best Song of the 2010s (Star Roving) | 1 |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Slomo" | 6:53 | |
| 2. | "Star Roving" | Halstead | 5:39 |
| 3. | "Don't Know Why" | Halstead | 4:37 |
| 4. | "Sugar for the Pill" |
| 4:31 |
| 5. | "Everyone Knows" | Halstead | 4:22 |
| 6. | "No Longer Making Time" | Halstead | 5:48 |
| 7. | "Go Get It" |
| 6:10 |
| 8. | "Falling Ashes" |
| 8:01 |
| Total length: | 46:01 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "30th June" |
| 7:27 |
| Total length: | 53:25 | ||
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[28]
Slowdive
- Neil Halstead – vocals, guitars, keyboards, editing, production
- Rachel Goswell – vocals
- Christian Savill – guitars
- Nick Chaplin – bass guitar
- Simon Scott – drums, guitar, electronics
Additional personnel
- Ian Davenport – engineering
- Duncan Chave – additional engineering
- Martin Nichols – additional engineering
- Gareth Stuart – additional engineering
- Steve Clarke – additional vocal engineering
- Chris Coady – mixing
- Sarah Tudzin – mixing (assistant)
- Heba Kadry – mastering
- Josh Bonati – vinyl cut
- Harry Smith – cover art (from Heaven and Earth Magic)
- Ingrid Pop – inner sleeve photography, art direction
Charts
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[29] | 64 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30] | 29 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] | 53 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[32] | 72 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[33] | 38 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[34] | 49 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[35] | 122 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[36] | 33 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[37] | 45 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[38] | 103 |
| New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ)[39] | 7 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[40] | 26 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[41] | 12 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[42] | 36 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] | 79 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[44] | 16 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[45] | 4 |
| US Billboard 200[46] | 50 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[47] | 3 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[48] | 5 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[49] | 11 |