One last breath before the sun reaches us.
The city of Reading, England, would give rise in 1989 to what would become one of the most influential bands of the following decade. Made up of Rachel Goswell (voice and guitar), Neil Halstead (voice and guitar), Christian Savill (guitar), Nick Chaplin (low) and Simon Scott (battery), Slowdive It would stand out for the use of ethereal atmospheres, layers of guitar and the introspective character in each of its lyrics. Elements that will resonate with the 90s alternative scene throughout Just For a Day (1991), the widely acclaimed Souvlaki (1993) and Pygmalion (1995).
After the launch of Pygmalionthe band would enter a period of hiatus you haveThere is a surprise meeting 25 years after its founding. The return of the English would be accompanied by the release of the self-titled album (2017) that reflected the maturity, sonic and personal, that the members had reached since their beginnings among alt rock and dreamgaze labels.
In September of last year, the project shared Everything Is Alive (2023) under the seal Dead Oceans. The album, dedicated to the memory of the mother of Goswell and the father of Scottmarked the validity of the group between the public and the specialized press. Highlighting their role as references of contemporary sonics.
The following interview was conducted moments before his presentation as headliners of the festival Hypnosis 2024, offering a respite on stage for the vocalist and reminding us of the deeply human character of the sounds that pass through us.
“For us, making music is the most natural thing in the world. As long as it makes us feel good and the music feels the same, we'll keep doing it; “It feels like being at home,” he confessed. Goswell with a warm smile. It is this same sensitive openness that has kept the group in force for more than three decades around the world. “I think we are in a very privileged position, you know? Being able to travel the globe and earn a living doing what we are passionate about is a dream. “If we didn’t find some joy in all of this, believe me we wouldn’t be here, especially at our age.”
For the frontwomaneach stage of life brings with it a different perspective, but also an urgency. “As you go through life, you realize many things. The older you get, the less tolerant you are of things you don't like. Because, you know, life is short, getting shorter. None of us knows when the end will come, but it remains a latent reality. That's why it's important to find what moves you and experience it as much as possible. That's what life is about: looking for the things that matter to you and holding on to them so you can move forward.”
And since thinking about life is, at the same time, thinking about death, the difficult thing is to ensure that this contrast does not become a constant anxiety about tomorrow. Concern results from experience from the artist's personal trench. “I'm not afraid to die. I was there, four years ago, when my mother died. It is the greatest loss I have ever experienced, I still resent its absence. But going through all of it and continuing made me lose all fear of death. I think of it as something inevitable, natural, it comes to all of us. I have friends who spend their days terrified of that ending, when I see them I think: 'Don't live your life thinking about something you can't control.'”
Although grief does not fade, we find ways to coexist with it. Because emptiness is emptiness, but each day that passes can fill it with meaning. “Nothing prepares you for a loss of that magnitude, nothing prepares you for that. But somehow you move on, you survive, but you are scarred forever. I carry my mother woven between my bones, in my DNA; It's part of me. I still talk to her every day, even though I'm no longer physically here. Sometimes, I even have small conversations with her. It's like part of the grieving process, one full of ups and downs even after all these years. Grief also stays with you,” he pointed out. Goswell.
Slowdive It would be presented in Mexico during the Day of the Dead celebration, a tradition that has managed to permeate the vocalist's artistic vision in a more than appropriate symbolic turn. “This day is one of the things I love about Mexico. The idea of ​​celebrating the people we have lost is really beautiful. I think it is a very positive way to honor those who have passed away. I discovered this tradition about 15 years ago, by chance, and it shocked me. I thought it was something beautiful. “I have loved Mexico for a long time and it makes me very happy to be here today, it is like a dream come true.”
Towards the end of the interview, the conversation turned to the role of music on days like that, where the idea seems to surpass any human limit: the death of a loved one, the grief before and after, the complexity of relationships, the how, when, where and why to live. Goswell and company seem to take the plural alternative. “I have found a lot of meaning in music, in countless ways. There is music to find comfort, music for joy, music for love. I think our music can be a little bit of everything. It is very emotional; Some songs are happy, like 'When the Sun Hits'others are rather sad, some seem to fall right in the middle.”
So, between cold lights, layers of guitars and one of the most beautiful conversations I have had with any artist, Slowdive It reaffirms itself as that liminal space in which to disappear and take a big breath from the world.
