It has been quite the rollercoaster of activity for shoegaze pioneers Ride over the past few years. Since deciding to reunite they have released two successful studio albums, two remix albums, and toured extensively. The band wrapped up activity just as we entered the current COVID-19 crisis and the band members are taking a well-deserved break.
In the case of frontman Mark Gardener, this has allowed him more time for pursuing production, mixing, mastering projects in his new purpose-built OX4 Sound studio. It was in Paris, however, that he recorded his new collaborative single, “Chained”, with long-time friend Stephan Haeri (aka 2Square) of France’s Telepopmusik.
The dreamy soundscapes crafted by Haeri are a perfect foil to Gardener’s lyrics. He reflects on past struggles and some personal demons. The overall mood of the track is very agitated and raw leaving the listener affected and uneasy. The track is about Mark’s home in Oxford in the years following Rides initial break up. He says, “I always ended up having big and good night’s drinking, getting high and listening to records until dawn for a period; hence the line ‘Chained till dawn to find a new way’.”
Mark continues: “I met Stephan through a mutual friend – Melanie Bauer, a well-known DJ on Paris radio. I had known and become close lifelong friends with Melanie since meeting her to interview on her program during an early Ride promo tour in Paris. Our paths with Stephan had crossed a few times but Melanie basically set up this recording session, thinking it could be a great combination. Stephan had a small apartment, which he lived in and had turned into a studio. I always loved to visit Paris so I was happy to go and spend a week with Stephan at his apartment, where I also stayed for the best part of a week. Stephan had some loose instrumental ideas and I got to work with lyrics and vocal top line ideas in reaction to these instrumental sketches I was hearing and then Stephan would mess around with my vocal lines. I think I popped out for food now and again, but we basically didn’t stop for a week until the songs were written and recorded. Stephan mixed it as we were going and then finished the mixes when I had gone back to England.”
Gardener notes that this is “…up there with my favourite collaborations ever,” adding this will “hopefully take our minds away from all current madness we’re living in”.
“Chained” is digitally available now via Mark Gardener’s own Bandcamp page, and will appear on other streaming and sales platforms soon. You can look forward to several more singles from this collaboration to be announced this summer.
Follow Mark Gardener via the official OX4 website, as well as Bandcamp, Twitter, and Facebook.
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