This is Not a Safe Place, Ride, Album Review
- Ella Peebles
- Sep 12, 2019
- 4 min read
This is Not a Safe Place, by Ride, marks the English band's sixth studio album to date, and it appears that the four-piece band from Oxford have made a prominent comeback. After taking a break for over twenty years, the band reformed for 'Weather Diaries' in 2017, which put them back in the scene, however, their latest album is what really marks them back in the industry. Their previous success and subsequent return is enough evidence to suggest that the band have a lot more to give.
Ride were formed in the 80s, belonging to the shoe-gazing scene, along with other credible bands such as Slowdive, and My Bloody Valentine. One thing that is very noticeable about their new album is that they are going back to their roots, whilst still exploring and being creative with their future in the business. This comforting nature is a welcoming vision following 'Weather Diaries,' which seemed to tamper with what Ride are all about. Both albums are produced by DJ Erol Alkan, showing that the transition between the two albums over two years is not just down to a change of producer, but more directed towards the pathway that Ride want to go on. Whilst being experimental and innovating is central in moving established artists forward, sometimes a call back to the past is more successful in invoking nostalgia with listeners, which is the same path that Slowdive went down. This unsure, unstable future that Ride may have had back in 2017, is scrapped with the new album. The first track, 'R.I.D.E' practically speaks for itself. With the eeriness and echoey vocal lines, it's directly reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine; a clear influence for the band. There's definitely a reason that 'R.I.D.E' is the first track, as it carries a sense of ambience that continues to have underlying tones throughout the album, and sets us up for the new, yet old, journey that Ride are taking us on.
The first single on the album, 'Future Love,' was pinpointed by the lead singer, Andy Bell, for being the only obvious light-hearted song, and gives us this much-needed mindset that the future is something to embrace, and not to fear. On the other hand, the negative impact of time is evident throughout the album too, with 'Repetition' discussing changing political aspects that we know only too well in this country. Bell has a view that "Repetition is a form of change"; a cryptic ideology when first glanced upon. Perhaps the only way to break this disarray that the country has found itself in, is to turn the cold, hard bitterness of monotonous routine into action. After all, is this really a safe place? Probably not. Ride are showing us through their music that repetition is manageable, as long as we put in the time to change ourselves. This idea is further explored in 'Clouds of Saint Marie,' a more melodic and bittersweet addition to the album, but shows how repeating the same mistakes can get you lost in a state of eternal recurrence.
The album's themes are generally quite dark, but still carry some clear lighter breaks, which is true of any great album. 'Jump Jet' is a radical collaborative effort from all band members, producers and mixers, and you can tell. The iconic chorus effect that Ride use in their music is prominent here, along with the dynamic variations, which fully encompass how much more sure of themselves Ride are this time around. Lyrically, the contrast between the warmer-sounding band, and their colder words, is something that is becoming more and more frequent in modern indie bands, and adds to Ride's already ethereal quality. What's truly memorable about this album, is the combination of themes, musical variety and personal perceptions; it feels really real. To execute an album to that degree, in order to make it stand out, is much more difficult in contemporary society, not just because of the wide range of music available, but due to the fact that 'Ride' are essentially trying to live up to albums like 'Nowhere' and 'Going Blank Again.' The song that feels the most personal to me, but that still feels like Ride, is 'End Game,' a song about unrequited or unsatisfied love, accompanied by the intense build-up of percussion, that turns the tone quite angry as the singer comes to terms with his unprecedented rage and lack of understanding of what has gone horribly wrong with his relationship. Not entirely dissimilar to Morrissey...
The two seemingly 'filler' tracks 'Fifteen Minutes' and 'Kill Switch' could quite easily be overlooked. However, it instantly gets the listeners re-engaged with the album, and the densely filled texture of the short instrumental breaks could quite possibly be inspired from 'Leave it all Behind,' another iconic Ride track that focuses heavily on fuzz and distortion. In terms of outer, more detached inspiration, the band have said that part of it comes from Jean-Michel Basquiat's art exhibition, which reinforces the new creativity that the band have. After all, creativity doesn't have to be defined as completely revolutionising your sound, or entire band setup, but instead letting your ideas progress you forwards, without thinking too hard about how and what to change.
After feeling somewhat disheartened by the outcome of 'Weather Diaries,' I can confidently say that Ride were right to reform and put themselves back in the spotlight. After finding a clear sense of direction, and discovering what was already within themselves, I think it's fair to say that their future love will never fail.
Listen to: Future Love, Repetition, Jump Jet
Comments