Nowhere

Nowhere was originally released on 15th October 1990, featuring classic tracks including Vapour Trail, Polar Bear and Dreams Burn Down. Widely considered one of the greatest albums not only of the ‘shoegaze’ genre, but of the 90s, Nowhere was Creation Records’ first Top 75 album, peaking in the UK album charts at number 11.

One of the seminal records of the shoegazer movement, Ride’s Nowhere typifies all of the best qualities of the movement’s sound. Shimmering, psychedelic atmospheres, squalling guitars shot through with distortion, and hypnotic drones balanced by genuine pop songcraft are all on ample display here, and are executed with a precision and mastery that represent the pinnacle of their technique. ‘Seagull,’ the album’s opener, pushed by the swirling twin guitar attack of Andy Bell and Mark Gardener, is simultaneously thunderous and radiant. Surging cuts like ‘Polar Bear’ testify to Ride’s skill at building dynamic tension and ringing sonic drama. But Ride were more than mere noise-merchants; their debt to psychedelic ’60s pop also results in some fine songwriting, as the chiming, arpeggiated pop confection ‘Taste’ reveals. Nowhere is Ride’s finest moment, and as a definitive document of shoegazer bliss, it ranks right alongside My Bloody Valentine’s classic Loveless.