Time is relative in the world of Slowdive. Yes, it has been six years since their triumphant comeback self-title, but that was 22 years on from Pygmalion and it helps that Slowdive was and remains endlessly re-listenable. But this is not to say that a new record hasn’t been anxiously awaited and as promised by the band, today was the big news drop.

everything is alive, the band’s fifth album, arrives on September 1 and is the result of writing sessions carried out over the past three years. I’ll resist the temptation to post the entire bio for the new record, though it’s all worth reading, but will offer the lede:

The new record began with Halstead in the role of writer and producer, working on demos at home. Experimenting with modular synths, Halstead originally conceived of everything is alive as a “more minimal electronic record.” Slowdive’s collective decision-making ultimately drew the group back towards their signature reverb-drenched guitars, but that first concept seeped into the compositions. “As a band, when we’re all happy with it, that tends to be the stronger material,” Halstead says. “We’ve always come from slightly different directions, and the best bits are where we all meet in the middle.” The convergence of five unique characters has made the sound. “Slowdive is very much the sum of its parts,” Goswell adds. “Something unquantifiable happens when the five of us come together in a room.”

Slowdive / everything is alive @ Dead Oceans

The preview single, the gorgeously lush and poppy “kisses”, comes with a video shot in Naples, Italy. Director Noel Paul offers this commentary:

If this video evokes emotion, it’s largely due to our excellent cast. In particular Charlie and Claudia, two courageous and beautiful souls who threw themselves into their roles and set a tone of fearless vulnerability.

Noel Paul
Slowdive announce their fifth studio album everything is alive @ The Line Of Best Fit