Slowdive Albums Ranked

Slowdive is an English rock band that formed in Reading, Berkshire in 1989. The band consists of Rachel Goswell on vocals and guitar, Simon Scott on drums, Neil Halstead on vocals and guitar, Nick Chaplin on bass, and Christian Savill on guitar. Several other drummers also briefly played with the band, including Adrian Sell, Neil Carter, and Ian McCutcheon. Halstead is the band’s primary songwriter. Goswell and Halstead had known each other since early childhood in Reading, Berkshire. Scott left in 1994 and when Savill and Chaplin left the band soon after the release of Pygmalion, the remaining members renamed the band Mojave 3. Slowdive reunited in 2014. Their sound has been described as dream pop, shoegaze, indie rock, and ambient. Here are all of Slowdive’s albums ranked.

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8. The Shining Breeze: The Slowdive Anthology, 2010

“While it’s clear that we won’t be getting a 90s Slowdive album anytime soon, we did however get a Slowdive album. And while that might not make any sense considering all their albums before this were in well, the 90s, what I mean is that here we have a perfectly fine comeback album by the English shoegazers who have since made a solid album while adapting to more modern pop production. The end result is pretty decent. You get a good idea of how they’re doing now. One thing important to note though is both Neil and Rachel’s voices have changed quite a bit. It works most of the time but as one can expect it most certainly won’t be as beautiful as their trademark shoegaze vocals on Souvlaki. And overall it all seems to work well into a surprisingly good comeback.”

7. Catch The Breeze, 2004

“This compilation is as important to me as Souvlaki is. Disc 1 is absolutely essential listening, collecting the majority of their early – and extremely hard to find – EP tracks put out by Creation in 1990. A good place to start for a Slowdive neophyte, and a treasure trove for the hardcore fan. A +”

6. Outside Your Room EP, 1993

“If you don’t have Slowdive’s EP’s you’re missing their most of their best music. Luckily, their contents are not nearly as difficult to find as they were ten years ago as a result of reissues and compilations. The original’s still command very high prices, however. This one tends to get lost amidst the three earlier ones and the more Post-Rock oriented later ones, but it’s still indispensible. Coupling Souvlaki Space Station with Moussaka Chaos is almost an overdose of pure bliss, but the hidden gem here is “So Tired” which has one of the most stunning down-tuned, reverbed guitar parts I’ve ever heard. All of Slowdive’s music is timeless and ravishingly beautiful, and this album is no exception.”

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5. Blue Day, 1992

“A truly definitive release of the shoegaze genre. 35 minutes of mind melting soundscapes that take you on the kind of trip you usually need chemical assistance for. I know you can get the songs easy enough but it’s a pity the release itself is so hard to get. Luckily, I picked the RSD vinyl copy up a few years ago but CD is practically impossible and vinyl very rare. Slowdive are an exceptional outfit when you listen through their back catalog. Incredible range of material.”

4. Pygmalion, 1995

“Slowdive’s grown up record. The dreamy nature of their music that was largely perfected on Souvlaki (and the previously released EPs) is replaced with music with a much stronger leaning toward the ambient and even post-rock music genres, which delivers a much more introspective, dark, and soulful experience.”

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3. Just For A Day, 1991

“What a beautiful album cover. Like that girl twirling her dress to salute the rising sun, Slowdive’s first album is redolent of springtime. It’s a soundtrack to the memory of daydreaming hours stolen from the clock, where the air tastes good at a reasonable distance from the city. Just for a Day is bathed in the opulent sonic imprint of the Cure’s Disintegration which, coupled with Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell’s celestial harmonizing, paradoxically produces a very uplifting result.”

2. Slowdive, 2017

“Slowdive’s fourth album is a more satisfactory come back than My Bloody Valentine’s m b v was. There’s nothing really new here, Slowdive is clearly aimed at recapturing some of that Souvlaki magic – as if Pygmalion had never happened, which seems like a slight disavowal of that album – although the band sounds more forceful than ever. I’m not too keen on the two songs that bookend the album, but the rest is excellent, and “Star Roving”, with its bouncing guitar motif, is one of their best songs ever.”

1. Souvlaki, 1993

“It’s just perfect… perfect lyrics, perfect tunes, perfect cover art. It’s the kind of record that makes you think about your impossible love and the way you suffer about it. When you feel like shit, Slowdive’s Souvlaki always understands you and knows the way you feel.”