Ride’s seventh full-length album, Interplay, is a woozy, dreamlike collage of songs. Its 12 track length fuses dreampop and shoegaze, goth rock and post-punk in a tight, organized, and seamless fashion. It sounds much like a product of the ’90s, but the soundscapes are ultimately still intriguing.
Lead single “Peace Sign” is the most likely candidate to open the album – with its free, easy going drum beat and guitars. The lyrics are very surface level, but the next track “Last Frontier,” which listens much like a lost Jesus and Mary Chain track, makes up for it both sonically and lyrically. Lead singer Andy Bell sings, “This time around, I hope I won’t drown in the fall out / and if we don’t look down, we won’t hit the ground / Or get called out.”
However, some moments on Interplay feel half-baked in comparison to the lead singles. “Stay Free” does not provide as much lyrical or instrumental progression. “Yesterday Is Just a Song” is similar, leaving the album with a slow ending. These tracks prove that Interplay shines the most when Ride sticks to their classic, post-punk sound. Most of Interplay is rooted in that sound, which is reminiscent of their early hits like “Vapour Trail” and “Seagull.” The seven-minute “Essaouira” is a perfect example of this. The random sound effects, vocal riffs, and drum beat create a controlled sense of chaos that makes for an extremely satisfying listen.
During the best parts of Interplay, the soundscape does much of the heavy-lifting. Rarely ever do Ride take a conceptual approach to the lyrics. The vocals, in a similar vein, feel more like an instrument than singing. They fade into the mix and mimic much of what is going on instrumentally. This creates a very atmospheric, hazy sound for an album that rarely ever misses the mark.
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