Essential Slowdive: 4 Songs All Shoegaze Fans Should Know

If you’re a Slowdive fan or a shoegaze listener, you’ve probably heard these four essential tracks before and love them as much as the next diehard fan. However, if you’re just now getting into the English shoegaze outfit, these four tracks might just be new to you. Either way, they’re worth a good revisit.

1. “Alison”

“Alison” is the opening track on Souvlaki, and it’s not exactly an easy listen. The subject matter of the song is painful and unfortunately relatable to anyone who has loved someone who struggled with addiction. Neil Halstead croons about a drug addict who only exists as an old memory. It’s a nostalgic and sentimental piece of work, and also one that’s quite heartbreaking when you really listen.

2. “Blue Skied An’ Clear”

“Blue Skied An’ Clear” is an essential Slowdive track from Pygmalion, an album that we’d say is Slowdive’s most underrated. The record isn’t exactly loaded with hits, but “Blue Skied An’ Clear” is one of the few that really stand out. This isn’t a classic shoegaze song and leans more toward ambient than anything else, but it’s a dreamy, delightful track nonetheless. Despite being long-winded, it never gets boring. That takes some serious talent.

3. “Catch The Breeze”

This stunning track from the Holding Our Breath EP (and later Slowdive’s debut Just For A Day) was a natural hit on the UK indie charts back in 1991. In good Slowdive fashion, the vocals are almost inaudible, with the focus of the track positioned on the harmony and elegant reverberation of the overall song. “Catch The Breeze”, quite literally, sounds like something you would hear in a dream or altered state.

4. “When The Sun Hits”

This essential Slowdive song is the perfect first song to listen to if you’re relatively unfamiliar with the shoegaze outfit’s work. “When The Sun Hits” is an excellent introduction to what they’re all about. The entrancing guitar work, the killer breakdown, the emotional nature of it all. It’s a gorgeous song about heartbreak and fear in terms of relationships, and by far one of Slowdive’s best releases.

Photo by Roberto Panucci – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

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