Ride

Ride formed in Oxford, England in 1988, becoming one of the first shoegaze bands signed to Creation Records alongside Oasis and Primal Scream. Guitarists Andy Bell and Mark Gardener created a sound driven by interlocking distorted guitar parts over Laurence Colbert's propulsive drumming, distinguishing them from the more static approach of some shoegaze peers. Their 1990 debut Nowhere balanced noise and melody with an energy closer to punk than ambient music. The follow-up Going Blank Again incorporated elements of classic rock and psychedelia, expanding their sonic palette. As Britpop overtook shoegaze in critical favor, the band shifted direction on later albums before splitting in 1996. They reformed in 2014 and have since released two albums that revisit and refine their established sound without mere nostalgia.