Ride have shared a new single called ‘Last Frontier’ and announced tour dates in the UK, Ireland and North America.
The shoegaze band’s latest song is the second preview of their seventh album, ‘Interplay’ – due for release on March 29 via Wichita Recordings/PIAS (pre-order/pre-save here).
Speaking about the ethereal ‘Last Frontier’, guitarist and vocalist Andy Bell explained: “This was the runt of the litter of the very first jam session from [frontman Mark Gardener’s] OX4 Studio and I didn’t even include it on my shortlist of the best tracks.
“It was our producer Richie Kennedy who saw the potential of the song, and we attacked this with a vengeance at Vada studio.”
Bell continued: “A complete revamp of the backing track and arrangement was needed and we took it right back to basics, more towards a pounding Joy Division feel.
“For the topline, I tried improvising at the mic, singing it all different ways, and coming up with new parts on the spot. I felt really exposed but kind of said to myself, ‘You’re among friends, it’s good to push yourself to try new ways to write’.”
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He added: “It feels different to every vocal I’ve ever done. It’s still a new way of working for me but it’s something I want to continue trying as I think it makes for better vocal lines; a good mixture of written and improvised.”
The single is accompanied by a colourful and kaleidoscopic official visualiser – tune in above.
It has also been confirmed that Ride will be embarking on a UK and Ireland headline tour this September in support of ‘Interplay’.
The band are scheduled to perform a show at the Roundhouse in Camden Town, London as part of the stint. Other dates include Dublin, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton and Cambridge.
Ride will then head to the US and Canada in May for a run of concerts, including performances in Toronto, Chicago and Seattle.
Tickets go on general sale at 10am local time tomorrow (Friday, February 16) – you’ll be able to buy yours here (UK/Ireland) and here (North America). See the full list of dates in the posters above.
Speaking to NME last month, Ride explained that their forthcoming album was sonically signposted by the likes of Tears For Fears, Talk Talk, and ’80s era U2 and Depeche Mode – influences they wouldn’t have dared approach back in the ’90s.
“All that ’80s widescreen stuff, we didn’t quite check for,” Bell explained. “We didn’t say, ‘Oh I love the new U2 record,’ because it wasn’t kind of cool at the time. Me and Mark were really into stuff like The Cure, The Smiths and Echo And The Bunnymen, and to be talking about a U2 record or Tears For Fears wouldn’t have been as cool when we were at school.
“Looking back at [U2’s] ‘The Unforgettable Fire’, I used to play that record all the time. And then there’s [Tears For Fears’] ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ and ‘Shout’. Mark, you love Tears For Fears.”