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In 2017, Ride marked their grand return after twenty-one years with a great album like "Weather Diaries."
An album that redefined their sound, shaping and molding it according to more current standards, but without losing its essence. Despite this, the departure from certain shoegaze stereotypes was already very evident, even though those sounds had not been completely abandoned yet; the band's intent, even shortly before their 1996 breakup, was already this—though back then, the attempt had proven clumsy and disastrous. Now, with the full center of "Weather Diaries," Bell, Gardener, and their fellows can truly take their first steps toward the future in a more secure and stable manner.
The first taste is this four-piece EP christened "Tomorrow's Shore," produced and mixed by the same team as the preceding album (the tracks come precisely from those sessions and were likely excluded due to excessive heterogeneity with the rest of the project); thus, we find the trusted DJ Erol Alkan and Alan Moulder. These are tracks that take a decisive step toward the future, significantly diversifying the British band's offerings.
And it's an extremely evident turning point right from the single "Pulsar," a track almost entirely built on a hammering and violent synth that recalls the early works of MGMT as well as the more recent M83. The subsequent "Keep It Surreal" is thoroughly completed indie rock that thickens as the track progresses, somewhat in the manner of Blur's old "Bugman."
The pace slows down with the Floydian "Cold Water People," perhaps the most ambitious track on the EP, which leads us into the excellent (and concluding) "Catch You Dreaming," sinuous and expansive, perhaps the most "updated" track to certain sounds currently in vogue (instantly bringing to mind Tame Impala).
"Tomorrow's Shore" is a delightful appetizer of what's to come, a way for Ride to outline four possible future scenarios: one of these might be the right one. Or, why not, even all four. The difficult judgment awaits the next album.
Best track: Pulsar
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