The Shoegaze Revival Continues with the Return of Swervedriver

In 2013, My Bloody Valentine released their long-awaited followup to Loveless. Later that year, Kitchens of Distinction released Folly, their first album in nearly two decades. Then, in early 2014, Slowdive announced their reunion and went on several subsequent tours, with a promise of new material in 2015. Also, in 2014, Ride announced they were getting back together, too, with tours planned in 2015. And so, it should come as no surprise that Swervedriver are getting caught up in the revival spirit.

Swervedriver may be shoegaze, but their music was always more rock-oriented. Raise doesn’t have the same layers of blissed out, ethereal sound that you might find with MBV or Slowdive, but the group still knew how to create a solid wall of noise, just one that was more driven and propulsive than anything else. “Setting Sun” — the first single from their upcoming album, I Wasn’t Born to Lose You– is a fine return to form. The band hasn’t lost a step, from the solid melodies to the vocal harmonies.

It’s the sort of song that makes you want to take a fast cruise through the desert with the top down — and with Swervedriver, what more could you ask for?