Tremble with a sigh

Ride - 'Vapour Trail' (Nowhere - 1990)

Ride’s ‘Vapour Trail’ is the ending of an ethereal journey, the lasting echo of their 1990 album Nowhere. If anyone is discussing the blossoming shoegaze scene of the early 1990s, one would be remiss, not to mention the Oxford-based band Ride and their seminal debut album. Shoegaze was a unique sound infused with effects-laden guitars and hushed vocals. By the time Nowhere was released, the band could ride¹ the scene’s burgeoning wave like that of the album cover.

For those unaware, shoegaze is named after the sight of introspective musicians who spent their performances seemingly gazing at their shoes, lost in the immersive, pedal-heavy soundscapes they created. It’s a genre that brings to mind a specific time in the early 1990s, primarily in London and the Thames Valley, with critical players in My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Chapterhouse. Still, plenty of acts dabbled in that type of sound before it was captured as The Scene That Celebrates Itself in Melody Maker in the year of Nowhere’s release. The likes of early Blur, (The) Verve, Lush and earlier recordings from A.R. Kane, Cocteau Twins and The Jesus and Mary Chain could fall under the same vast, sonic umbrella.

While some of these acts produced music with a genuine sense of abrasiveness, Ride were once described by then NME journo Steve Lamacq as “House of Love with chainsaws” Ride had a gift of melody that gave them a defter touch. There was noise, pedals and feedback, but the guitars swirled around your eardrums rather than attack them.

'Vapour Trail' represents the pinnacle of this approach, melding together swirling guitars with Mark Gardener and Andy Bell’s hazy vocal harmonies to create a whirlwind of beautiful and melancholic sound.

Bell has said;

I remember writing the riff in a hotel room on a very early Ride tour. We were in a bed and breakfast type scenario, and I was sitting on a bed with an acoustic to get that four-chord pattern which is really very simple. It’s played on two 12-strings. People seem to be quite interested with the guitar sound on this record, if there are fades or effects, but there’s not; it’s just two 12-strings. It’s just one of those magical songs. That’s the one that everyone talks about on the album in my experience. These songs are the easiest to write and the ones that you don’t really think about at the time. It came out so easily and it has that effortless feel to it. I guess it is the one I’m most proud of from that era.

The composition of 'Vapour Trail' is a contrast study, mixing the ethereal and the earthly. Starting with a strident, chiming guitar that evolves into a maelstrom of sound, it sets a rapid tempo that propels the listener through the sonic landscape. However, this urgency is counterbalanced with a hauntingly beautiful string arrangement, giving the track a bittersweet aftertaste long after its abrupt end.

The lyrics of 'Vapour Trail' echo the melancholy tone, capturing the ephemeral nature of life and youth. The song's title, 'Vapour Trail,' encapsulates this sentiment, alluding to the fleeting, transient trails left by planes in the sky, a visual metaphor for the ephemeral nature of human experiences and relationships.

This compelling combination of sonic power and lyrical profundity helped Ride significantly impact the shoegaze scene and beyond. 'Vapour Trail,' in particular, became an anthem for those seeking solace in its expansive soundscapes and introspective themes. In a time when alternative rock was becoming increasingly aggressive, the shoegaze genre and tracks like 'Vapour Trail' offered a resonant, immersive refuge.

Ride's influence can still be felt today, with bands like DIIV, Beach House, and Alcest taking cues from their atmospheric sound. As the closing track on 'Nowhere,' 'Vapour Trail' is a fitting conclusion to an album that helped to define a genre and a band that helped to shape the face of alternative music in the early '90s. Over three decades, the ethereal echo of 'Vapour Trail' continues reverberating, underscoring Ride's enduring legacy in the annals of shoegaze and beyond.

The Run Out Grooves Infinite Loops

Where else could we turn back to other than looking at My Bloody Valentine’s incredible 1991 album, Loveless.

1. Pun intended