Ride release first new song in 20 years “Charm Assault” (video)

 February 22, 2017 - 14:10 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Ride have released their first new music in 20 years, returning with new track ‘Charm Assault’, NME said.

The four-piece, considered to be pioneers of shoegaze, last released a full-length record, ‘Tarantula’, back in March 1996. The band broke up later that year. After a brief reconciliation in 2001 for a live televised performance, Ride officially reunited in 2014, with guitarist Andy Bell telling NME at the time that: “As we were all still friends, we always thought when the time was right we’d [reform]. And now the time is right.”

The band have now signed to Wichita Records for a new album, their fifth to date, out this summer. The LP has been produced by Erol Alkan and mixed by Alan Moulder.

‘Charm Assault’ was premiered on Steve Lamacq’s BBC 6 Music show.

Bell says of the new track: “‘Charm Assault’ is a pretty straightforward expression of frustration and disgust at the people who currently run our country. The tour in 2015 was a good way of reminding us what we were good at in the first place and Charm Assault feels like a natural continuation from our peak. When we started writing together again we tried to imagine we’d kept on making music all this time, and this was just the latest one.”

Frontman Mark Gardener also told NME at the time of their 2014 return that: “People bought our records first time round, but our music has grown in significance since we’ve been away… We want to give the people what they want. We’d be idiots to go out and play a new album, but that’s not to say we wouldn’t make new music.”

Ride have played a number of live dates since they reformed, and recently addressed rumours that they were set to support Oasis during a potential reunion tour.