"It felt like we were in a movie that had a totally implausible ending..." Slowdive's second act as a live blockbuster has already been rapturously received around the world. Highlights thus far include a festival-conquering, sea-of-devotees Primavera Sound performance, of which Pitchfork noted: "The beauty of their crystalline sound is almost hard to believe, every note in its perfect place." "It was just nice to realise that there was a decent amount of interest in it," says principal songwriter Neil Halstead. The UK shoegaze pioneers have now channelled such seemingly impossible belief into a fourth studio opus which belies his characteristic modesty. Self-titled with quiet confidence, Slowdive's stargazing alchemy is set to further entrance the faithful while beguiling a legion of fresh ears. Deftly swerving what co-vocalist/guitarist Rachel Goswell terms "a trip down memory lane", these eight new tracks are simultaneously expansive and the sonic pathfinders' most direct material to date. Birthed at the band's talismanic Oxfordshire haunt The Courtyard - "It felt like home," enthuses guitarist Christian Savill - their diamantine melodies were mixed to a suitably hypnotic sheen at Los Angeles' famed Sunset Sound facility by Chris Coady (perhaps best known for his work with Beach House, one of countless contemporary acts to have followed in Slowdive's wake). "It's poppier than I thought it was going to be," notes Halstead, who was the primary architect of 1995's previous full-length transmission Pygmalion. This time out the group dynamic was all-important. "When you're in a band and you do three records, there's a continuous flow and a development. For us, that flow re-started with us playing live again and that has continued into the record." Drummer and loop conductor Simon Scott enhanced the likes of 'Slomo' and 'Falling Ashes' with abstract textures conjured via his laptop's signal processing software. A fecund period of experimentation with "40-minute iPhone jams" allowed the unit to then amplify the core of their chemistry. "Neil is such a gifted songwriter, so the songs won. He has these sparks of melodies, like 'Sugar For The Pill' and 'Star Roving', which are really special. But the new record still has a toe in that Pygmalion sound. In the future, things could get very interesting indeed." This open-channel approach to creativity is reflected by Slowdive's impressively wide field of influence, from indie-rock avatars to ambient voyagers - see the tribute album of cover versions released by Berlin electronic label Morr Music. As befits such evocative visionaries, you can also hear Slowdive through the silver screen: New Queer Cinema trailblazer Gregg Araki has featured them on the soundtracks to no less than four of his films. "When I moved to America in 2008 I was working in an organic grocery store," recalls Christian. "Kids started coming in and asking if it was true I had played in Slowdive. That's when I started thinking, 'OK, this is weird!'" Neil Halstead: "We were always ambitious. Not in terms of trying to sell records, but in terms of making interesting records. Maybe, if you try and make interesting records, they're still interesting in a few years time. I don't know where we'd have gone if we had carried straight on. Now we've picked up a different momentum. It's intriguing to see where it goes next." The world has finally caught up with Slowdive. This movie could run and run...

Amber Arcades follow up last years debut record 'Fading Lines' with a new EP. Titled 'Cannonball' the EP is due for release on Friday 2nd June, 2017 via Heavenly Recordings Amber Arcades is the moniker of Dutch-born musician Annelotte De Graaf. This new EP was recorded at Strange Weather Studio in New York with producer Ben Greenberg whilst the band were on tour and is the first new release since last year’s critically acclaimed debut album Fading Lines. About the track EP Annelotte said: “I'm so happy to be releasing these tunes! We had 2 days off in New York on our tour last September and we recorded them in that time. I've thought about postponing their release and waiting till I have more songs to make it into a full record, but I actually feel like they fit together wonderfully as an EP and am glad they get to be out there in this form.” The ‘Cannonball’ EP opens with Amber Arcades’ reworking of the classic Nick Drake song, ‘Which Will’ (from his seminal 1972 album Pink Moon) featuring her trademark ethereal, hazy, krautrock sound, and is available to listen to HERE. ‘It Changes’ follows, which is possibly Amber Arcades’ most irresistible and compelling pop single to date and which was described by The Line Of Best Fit as “something that goes a lot, lot deeper than your average feel good summer track” – listen to it HERE. The EP will feature three brand new tracks in the form of ‘Can’t Say That We Tried’, ‘Wouldn’t Even Know’ (featuring Bill Ryder-Jones on vocals) and the title track, ‘Cannonball’. The artwork was shot by Nick Helderman who has photographed all of Amber Arcades’ artwork and photos to date.