Ride have been in scintillating form of late. ‘This Is Not A Safe Place’ reignited the feverish love of the band and, their live shows were everything a Ride fan had ever dreamed of. Not resting on his laurels, Mark Gardener has returned with ‘Chained’. A collaboration with long-time friend 2 Square (Stephen Haeri) of French outfit Telepopmusik.
Gardener’s lyrics expertly recreate his demons from yesteryear. To integrity of the words and, the vocal overlays, create such tension, it’s hard not to find it all heroic. Gardener’s vocals are eventually emerging with an innocence; a firm reminder that the fog does lift and things do get better.
If Sebastien Tellier’s classic ‘La ritournelle’ is the main body of a river, ‘Chained’ is a small subtle estuary offshoot. The vastness and dynamism of Tellier may not be present, but it stacks in equal measure for beauty and honesty.
The single is available from Gardner’s Bandcamp page.
*Image courtesy of Steve Gullick