Steve Queralt – best known as the bassist of Ride – has shared details of an upcoming solo album called ‘Swallow’. Check out the lead single ‘Lonely Town’ below.
The record marks the first venture into a full solo release from Queralt, and is set for release on June 13 via Sonic Cathedral.
In terms of the sound, the record is set to capture a beautiful yet brooding collection of nine songs, and hones in on elements of shoegaze to capture darkly textured soundscapes similar to that of M83 and Sigur Rós.
It also contains a number of collaborators, including labelmate Emma Anderson (formerly of Lush and Sing-Sing) and Verity Susman (Electrelane, MEMORIALS).
Today (March 26), Queralt has shared the first preview of the record in the form of the lead single ‘Lonely Town’. Emerging with an energetic riff, the track captures an electronic sheen reminiscent of Boards Of Canada, and the vocal melody by Emma Anderson gives the song a shoegaze feel.
Check it out below.
“I’d been going through another Joy Division stage and so the rhythm and tempo were the starting point and, once they were in place, the bass part followed naturally,” explained Queralt of the track. “Emma follows the synth melody for the chorus, but it’s the bridge part that does it for me. Just after we finished it, Emma came up with more vocal parts which were too good to miss out on, so back to the studio we went.”
According to Anderson, the lyrics were written about “revisiting a familiar place and having your memories jogged and remembering things how they were in reality and not how you thought you remembered them”.
The album was gradually pieced together by Queralt across five years, allowing for a slightly dystopian feel to find its way into the guitar-driven tracks. It also sees the bassist showcase his skills as a composer and musician – exploring new avenues to that seen in Ride.
“Despite the fact that the majority of the album is instrumental and – some might say – wordless, there is plenty of power and emotion poured into these moody, moonlit soundtracks,” reads a new description. “When words do appear in titles or samples, an underlying anger and political slant emerges and amplifies the album’s dark intensity.”
“Queralt’s characteristically humble take notwithstanding, ‘Swallow’ is a beautiful work that burns with a vibrant intensity that will stay with you for some time to come,” it added. “Above all, it welcomes the debut of a real, mercurial musical talent who, despite more than 30 years in the game, is only now properly getting started.”
Visit here to pre-order the album, and find the full tracklist below.
Steve Queralt ‘Swallows’ artwork. CREDIT: Press
The ‘Swallow’ tracklist is:
1. ‘Mission Creep’
2. ‘Lonely Town (ft. Emma Anderson)’
3. ‘High Teens’
4. ‘A Porsche Shaped Hole’
5. ‘Swiss Air (ft. Emma Anderson)’
6. ‘I Don’t Know How To Sing’
7. ‘ Messengers (ft. Verity Susman)’
8. ‘1988’
9. ‘Motor Boats’
Steve Queralt isn’t the only member of Ride to turn his sights to solo projects. Recently Andy Bell – who is also a member of Mantra of the Cosmos – had shared a new solo album called ‘Pinball Wanderer’.
Also shared via Sonic Cathedral, it featured his former Oasis bandmate and longtime collaborator Gem Archer and marked his third LP as a solo artist.
Ride released their seventh and latest studio album ‘Interplay’ last March.
Going into summer 2025, Andy Bell will be reportedly returning to the stage as part of Oasis’ huge comeback shows. He is allegedly picking up the bass for the Britpop icons once again having stepped in for Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan from 1999 to 2009. He would later follow Liam into the spin-off band Beady Eye.
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