Slowdive

Slowdive are frequently associated with the early-’90s shoegaze movement thanks to their 1991 debut album, Just for a Day, which boasted introspective, psych-kissed songs such as “Catch the Breeze”. However, the Reading band also excel at hazy dream pop—their 1993 harmony-heavy signature song, “Alison”, is lovely and brittle—and they often carry on the legacy of the Cocteau Twins’ dewy, gothic soundscapes. Formed in 1989 by childhood friends and musical collaborators Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell, Slowdive quickly signed to Creation Records and released a self-titled EP in 1990. Several more EPs and albums soon followed, culminating in 1995’s Pygmalion, after which the band split up. The ensuing hiatus found several band members (including Goswell and Halstead) forming the folk-leaning Mojave 3. Slowdive reunited in 2014 for well-received tours (including a spot opening for The Cure at Hyde Park); a critically acclaimed self-titled album followed in 2017.