Nowhere

I liked aspects of this — the chunky sound and production, primarily — but none of the songs really stuck out. Maybe it’s a grower.

About halfway through this album realizing every song is awesome and I'm totally into all of it, but damn it would be great if there was 1 like no doubt all time banger to bring it home. 5 minutes later, Taste comes on. 5 stars with a bullet.

one of my favourite albums of all time and also one of the best fitting album covers of all time imo. this whole album feels like you're drifting away into the ocean and it's beautiful. a while back i listened to this album on a night walk around toulouse - was a lovely moment of my life. ride are also a local band to me so i have a lot of appreciation for them. one of the best shoegaze-esque albums out there

Love the muscle they bring compared to the other BIG shoegaze bands (mbv will occasionally do this but not often and in a different way). I've always thought this album was ever so slightly inconsistent but 'Seagull,' 'Dreams Burn Down,' and 'Vapour Trail' (and to a lesser extent 'Kaleidoscope' and 'In a Different Place') make it amazing.

Usually i don't like shoegaze, but i really liked this album

This is pleasant and atmospheric, but also a little boring - and I say that as someone who likes shoegaze and generally disagrees with the common criticism that it’s boring. Maybe that’s not even the right word, exactly, but it’s a subdued album. I can see myself listening to it again in the right situation.

boring

3.5

6.0/10 Was decent.. didn’t hate it

These Englishmen are certainly a moody bunch.

another mundane spin

🫤

Nice sound

Lowk buns

The vocals drone on and on and on

This one should’ve been called nothing because it was a whole lotta nothing

My nephew has constructed this weird alternate history in which "shoegaze" was a big musical trend back in the nineties and, in his vision, teenage me was a big "shoegaze guy." And so he'll send me tracks by like Jane Remover or Girls Rituals and say things like "this is kind of shoegazey, you would like this." And so, first off, interesting look into the weird distorted state of cultural nostalgia in 2026, and makes me think of how when we were teens we thought everyone in the seventies was into the Sex Pistols and Bowie and not, like, the Bee Gees and Neil Diamond. And second off, in fairness, he's not fully wrong, if by "shoegaze" we extend out to things like James "Laid" and Stone Roses and Slint (i.e. not shoegaze but aesthetic fellow-travellers). BUT even interpreting it narrowly, I think L is seeing something in my heart that maybe I'd missed and showing me myself, in a way. I listen to "Nowhere" and I imagine the "shoegaze" version of myself aged 19 and it's, first off, a little more like L than the real me, which is great because I love and admire the stuffing out of that kid. But second, it's interesting and tender to think about how that me differs from the real me, as I was and/or presented to the world back then: softer, seriouser, queerer, kinder, less grandiose, more at home in my own skin. If you'd asked me at the time my trifecta would have been Pulp Bowie L. Cohen, and much as that's still the music that made me, looking back it feels like it was emotional or social armour in a way, and Ride feels like music for people brave enough to not need armour.

shoegazing at its best 😉

Ok

Um disco que traz uma ambientação sonora agradável, mas sem melodias muito atraentes, tornando a audição um tanto desinteressante.

I liked this and would maybe listen again. Not my favorite thing ever, though.

Not aged well. Felt very self indulgent at times.

Never heard of Ride before, but I liked it. The whole album is decent, but especially Dreams Burn Down sounds like what Deafheaven was going for on their excellent Infinite Granite album.

The most underrated drummer of all time?

guess i’m a shoegaze guy huh

Classic! Though I like the next one more (idk if that’s on the list). Haven’t listened since college. I know Peter will give this a 2 but it deserves at least a 3 damn it!! I know vapour trail is the song everyone loves the best but damn dreams burn down is a ripper

Loved it, high tempo, high energy, rockin

It's got a really droning buzzing vibe, sometimes good sometimes bad

Nothing really stood out to me here but overall impression was mid-to-good

not bad not great. first time hearing of "shoegaze"

Up until about 3 years ago, I read "Shoegaze" thinking it was Japanese in origin so I read it as "Show-eh-gah-zeh" so when I found out it really is just "Shoe gaze" I was very disappointed. Favorite(s): Dreams burn down Taste Least: Vapor Trail (I liked the strings at the end tho)

Fav: Kaleidoscope, Paralysed L: Decay 3.5 I am a shoegaze enjoyer. This album felt a little unpolished though in a not good way. I thought the singing was passable but a weak spot. Still it was an enjoyable listen and I might listen to some of the songs again

Shoegaze is good. There's a lot of better shoegaze out there. 3/5

It’s fine

Too long. Overly boring

Another shoegaze album. Each song feels like a fight between an early 90s rock band and a noise rock band and I'm left feeling a bit mixed. The drums, bass and vocals are mostly pretty good and have a kind of melancholy vibe but the repetitive, noisy guitars drenched in effects and feedback bring a sense of being overwhelmed. When the former are high in the mix I'm having fun but when the latter takes over it's a tough listen. I can see what they're going for but it's not really my vibe.

Ah my favorite 1001 albums genre, wishy washy britpop. Something about the guitar tone mixed with the ethereal and huge drum sound on these records just gets me every time, and I love it. The album cover greatly represents what i'm experiencing. The sonic quality sounds like a huge ocean surface as the sun peaks through the clouds. Every song is just a reverb soaked masterpiece that range from pop jingles to wall of sound epics. The vocal harmonies are exquisite and perfectly mesh with the mastering on the effects. Sure the album could be a couple songs shorter but the lyrics stay consistently interesting and the rhythm section goes pretty nuts to keep it fun. It's just so effortlessly beautiful.

Nowhere is a very straightforward album in a genre that can usually get very convoluted, and y'know what I really dig that simplicity especially in a genre like Shoegaze. This album feels like you are walking on water with just how much fun it is while also having the waves of sound hit you almost like the water splashing at you as you traverse the seven seas. The music here is nonstop and just an absolute blast from front to back with tracks like Kaleidoscope, Decay, and Vapour Trail being some of my personal favorites and with Dreams Burn Down being the best thing this album has to offer. This album is pretty straightforward and doesn't pull any punches that you shouldn't already expect from this kind of project. Nowhere leads many amazing places and is a great staple of the genre when it was first kicking off as a genre. Good shit, wish I heard this sooner instead of putting it off for a while.

I’m impressed this is from 1990. They were a bit ahead of their time. Never heard them before this. Can’t think exactly who they remind me of, but I definitely hear some early Smashing Pumpkins in there. 3.5

Mid

Nice atmospheric album

Shoegazing classic, mixing the chaos of Sonic youth and jangle pop of the kinds like Byrds to British pop tradition. There is a genuine youthful enthusiasm in the playing that compensates for the shortcomings in musicianship and songwriting. Includes some genre classics and 'Dreams burn down' is one of my shoegaze favorites.

A bit lazy stuff but for current state of mind it fitted nicely. This 3 star review would be something different on some other day.

#453 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ / ✅ (maybe) I've heard few tracks by Ride that I remember, but none of those made an lasting mark. On paper their descriptors (shoegaze, neo-psychedelia, noise pop) are nearly tailor made for me, but the first track is not what I was expecting. It sounds decent, but I've been exposed to the modern showgaze, I especially liked Slowdive's 2017 self titled album. This sounds quite a bit like the brit pop/rock I've accustomed to hearing over the years, but there is lot more subtleties on this one. Strong 3/5, but not enough to be get 4.

Love a good Ride!

強いていうならtasteはいい曲かなー？ 正直言って今までのやつで1番微妙、何をしたいのかがよくわからなかった。ロックやりたいんやったらこの声ちゃうし、ロックじゃないんやったらうるさいし 良さがあんまりわかりませんでした

the vibes are really good but it was like 5 songs too long (to be fair i was listening to whatever apple music had listed as the "expanded" version). low 4.

A solid album, but definitely too long. I'm not really a huge fan of stuff that is mostly shoegaze stuff as I think the genre works better as an influence or combined with something else as the major genre, which can end up being really good. However, this doesn't really highlight to me why the genre exists with these allegedlyinteresting uses of pedals leading to the guitarists staring at their shoes/pedal boards the whole show. Sure, the guitar tones overall are quite different to standard indie rock ones, but that doesn't mean they stay interesting for over an hour. On top of this, the songs are too long for me when they lack enough progression to warrant the duration. I'm also not a huge fan of the vocal style, but I should stop complaining and admit that this was a mostly interesting listen, although one that I wouldn't sit through the entirety of in mostly one sitting again.

They was some good work done on this album. Instruments were great

I’m a pretty big shoegaze enjoyer, so it’s cool to hear some of the really early stuff, especially stuff that came before Loveless. These guys sound somewhat similar to another more modern shoegaze band whose name escapes me at the moment. Glare, I think? Anyway, I enjoyed this more as a sort of history lesson, but it was still a good listen.

First song or two was not really impressing me much, but once it got into the meat of the album, it was much better. Some songs come off as if psychedelic Beatles had the harmonies of Alice in Chains. Some songs come off as a rockier slowdive. Was one of the remaining albums that I was most interesting in listening to, and am pleasantly happy with how it is. Just a really good album. Still think slowdive's Souvlaki is better (And it's a travesty that it isn't on the list), but yeah.

I had never heard of this band before. Shoegaze is not one of the genres I gravitate toward either. I have to say it’s not altogether bad; I just don’t really like the sound of the album. Some of the vocals are pleasant, but not enough to overcome the noisiness of the instrumentation. Overall, the album just isn’t for me, but I do like the cover art.

I like this a lot! It feels like there's a bit of music within the wall of noise, and I appreciate the harmonica in certain parts -- can't go wrong with that instrument.

I feel like this was a worse version of My Bloody Valentine

some great shoegaze!

Underrated 90s

Hate to say it, but kinda generic late 80s / early 90s sounds. Not bad but nothing stands out

Good but not great. To be honest i have a lot of 90s stuff I just don't listen to anymore, including shoegaze. There's at least 1002 albums better than them.

I havent listened to this in years, damn half of the album is great, but the other half hasnt aged that well. Dang

Song intros were far too long and then the pay off of the verse / chorus was not worth the wait. Instrumentation mostly felt like sound rather than music. Safe to say a bit shit.

Never heard but I have been getting into some more shoegazy stuff, so let's check it out. Cool stuff. Wouldn't go out of my way to listen to them though. Nothing special caught my ears.

It’s too hot for shoes so I’m gazing at my sandals, just vibing

Dull. Uninspiring. Typical of its type. Era defining? Who knows, I'm too old to judge. If this is thought to be great by some I'm clearly out of touch. Just easy to ignore when playing in the background and probably easy enough to like if people want inoffensive and unchallenged.

While I was pretty unimpressed by the vocals here and the constant sort of half-hearted harmonisation, I thought that the instrumentation, production and songwriting was solid enough to warrant a semi-positive review.

Kinda mellow. It ok but no oooooos.

Unless I'm in the mood for it, shoegaze is hard for me to get into. It doesn't sound bad, but it's so easy for me to get distracted and pay attention to things like lyrics

That was sooo tedious. Not a fan of wailing style singing

Ride is definitely on the songier-end of the shoegaze thing which sets them apart from other pedal board enthusiasts. There is a some liberal borrowing from the Beatles and Smiths in the songs, but those a good places to steal from.

Shoegaze is living proof that when done right, noise can be glorious and transcendent, a rush of endorphins delivered through dense (and deafening) washes of sound, restrained use of repetition and a knack for hitting discordant notes that scratch the sweet spot. Witness the squalling wall of feedback on “Dreams Burn Down,” which makes me yearn to experience it live, with swirling lights transporting me to another world. Love the guitar effects and harmonica on “Nowhere,” and bonus points for the use of vocal harmonies throughout. It’s a real sonic feast. It doesn’t quite reach the heights of Loveless but I definitely view Nowhere as one of the foundational albums of a genre enjoying a prolonged renaissance — and as L.L. once said, don’t call it a comeback. 4.5.

Nor really into the shoe gaze thing. This was fine.

No. Dear God no.

Ok for what it is, probably worth revisiting when im in the right mood for it as would probably appeal.

Sehr geil, hatte die gar nicht auf dem Schirm!

Hatte mich mit denen mal beschäftigt und die Vocals nicht gemocht. Mit diesem Album hat sich daran nichts geändert.

4/5

The fucking british again. 2/5

Such a great album by a great band. I love Ride so this was easy to at least give 4 stars. I was close to giving it 5. The music itself isn't anything complicated, but it is layered and loud. Its a wonderful mix of swirling melodies, harmonies, and walls of guitar. Shoegaze has this innate ability to make you see the sounds you are hearing. Is it sad British music like many other artists of that time? Sure, but that's not a bad thing. Channeling feelings through music like this is much better than hearing some Country guy sing about too many beers. Biggest Hit - Dreams Burn Down Biggest Miss (if I had to choose) - Today (Not So) Hidden Gem - Taste

I really like some shoegaze music - My Bloody Valentine and Curve are still regulars on my playlists, I never got into Ride though, and on listening to this am still not into them. Do t know why, just didn’t do anything for me like some of the others in the genre.

I remember really not liking Ride but I couldn't remember why. Listening to the first track and really enjoying it, I was hopeful that I was wrong all those years ago. Unfortunately not. For me, mixing mid tempo indie pop with a load of reverbed guitars just ends up as a muddy mess. Not for me at all.

I had wondered what "shoegaze" was - well now I know and I'm not sure I like it.

Album started as a three star record but the longer it goes the more boring it gets. After listening to it for over an hour I need to give it only two stars.

No, not really my sort of thing. Two stars...

Pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this album. There's something rich and full about the sound production that I found very compelling. The simple but driving drum beats make for an easy album to listen to that keeps you engaged throughout the runtime. Top tracks: Seagull, Paralyzed, Vapour Trail

Ride Early 90’s English garage band alternative rock sound with an occasional psychedelic vibe/shoegaze hardcore sound. It’s fine but I don’t know why we would need more than a couple bands like this on the list. I got two songs in and thought -I bet if the guy who made this list had a band it would sound like this… but with strings and one random electronica track. I liked better as I went along too. “Dreams burn down” was my favorite I like the super noisey guitars- I love that stuff. I would like better with a different vocalist. Vocals were rough sometimes. Vapor trail has dream pop vibe. I liked Taste. Sennen was nice. “Today” was good song to end the album. Maybe you had to be there kind of thing. Waaaay too long! This album could’ve been 40 minutes long. 2.5

This was fine i just dont feel like it needs to be on the list. It did grow on me throughout and its kind of cool at times. I like some of the guitar noises.

It was bad at the beginning and either or got better or I got used to it. Would prefer another singer

Listens: 2 (with original CD bonus tracks) I don't know much about shoegaze, mostly because I've largely written it off on account of the rather unimpressive contemporary releases I've heard in the genre. It's not that I don't like the *sound* of shoegaze; I love me some tasteful washed-out reverb. But it's often felt to me like the wall of sound is only there to cover up the lack of songwriting ability at its foundation. That said, I was excited when this album came up to educate myself with a foundational record in the genre (by a band I'd never heard of!). Alas, it turns out this album doesn't do that much for me. The far majority of it sounds, to me, like bland twinkly 90s soft rock—nothing wrong with it, but lacking in anything that elicits any emotion in me besides an impersonal feeling of "nostalgia". The only exceptions to this are the first song, "Seagull", whose heaviness and bassline immediately gripped me with high hopes for the album, and the songs "Here and Now" (with its haunting harmonica) and "Nowhere", which close out the 11-track CD version of the album (which appends the three additional songs from their Fall EP, released the month before this LP, to the vinyl's 8-track run). There are other pleasantudes throughout the record, like some fantastic drum sounds (particularly in "Dreams Burn Down") and the Martin Gore-like croon of Andy Bell (a different Andy Bell from the one who formed Erasure with Gore's former bandmate, of course). But otherwise... it's alright.

This was hit or miss for me. Some songs are good, with the trippy, droning guitar that makes you gaze at your shoes. Some were just ok and a bit boring. The drums throughout are so good though.

This is the kind of stuff I’d need more time with to decide. Weirdly, I’d never heard these guys back in the ‘90’s. If not exactly my lane, they were close to it. (Eg I loved teenage fan club who are listed as a a similar artist on Apple Music) But I was never a Jesus and Mary chain fan until recently and Ride sounds like a watered down version of them. So I think I’ll stick with the former. I did download one song so I guess that’s something (home is a feeling- but from a later album)

Ride is overall a decent band. While they are not the most impressive, the hype surrounding them far exceeds their music. They are definitely important figures in the early shoegaze scene, and this album played a significant role in those early days. However, I think they were slightly better than average and just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Would be fine but was like 30 minutes too long.

I’m not a shoegaze person, so I dreaded this listen, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Makes sense since it’s less shoegazey than normal.

This was the most “yep that was an album” album I’ve ever heard.

I like this a lot - but that might be because I like the shoegaze genre, and especially MBV but also other type bands like Slowdive, Dinosaur Jr, The Stone Roses, The Cure, Oasis etc. who have elements of the same thing.

I like their sound Their first 6 songs sounded very similar, so paralyzed was a welcome break Easy listening. Don't mind it, probably wouldn't listen to the full album again.

It’s ok. I gave it a second listen, and I think it was better the second time, but it’s a bit dreary.

Average album, repetitive sound in not a good way, long winded not easy to get through the entire thing if not your sound.

Sounds like a cross between My Bloody Valentine and The Stone Roses. And I love both those bands. This is a great find I may never have heard without this list.

#1001. Here it is the 1001th album and the theoretical point at which I should be done, but no- almost 3 more months (of probable mediocrity, largely) to go. My initial knee jerk reaction impression of this one was also mediocrity, but after listening a little bit I've come to realize I quite like it, it's pretty good. 4/5: not bad

71 minute, monochromatic, drone.

These passed me by at the time. I was aware of the name but never listened to them, which I now realise was an error as they are great. Will certainly investigate their back catalogue

Made it through most of the album and then my baby was born

not for me, it was headache inducing

Pretty decent. Never heard of them before.

More reverb, please.

Heard the name before I'm pretty sure. I don't like shoegaze in general but damn is this bad shoegaze. Genuinely I'd rather be listening to My Bloody Valentine 2/5

Bem lindo. Foi bom ouvir esse álbum para preencher a lacuna do meu conhecimento a respeito de shoegaze. Esse é um disco divisor de águas dentro de sua esfera. Uma sonoridade maravilhosa, casando elementos do pop indie rock com noise rock, tendo guitarras noiosas, percussão formosa e vocais ternos. Combinação maravilhosa, e um deleite aos ouvidos. Muito bem equilibrado, com canções que caem mais profundamente no berço barulhento, e outras mais leves e calmas. Até algumas partes orquestrais existem aqui. Um disco bem ambicioso para uma estréia! Ótimo. 5/5

An all-time fave. Kaleidoscope and Taste are two songs I never seem to be able to play loud enough. And a very cool cover.

I like the melodies and tones, but the singing is just too grading.

Was not familiar with this band, but really dug the hazy tunes. 3.3/5.

Essential record from the Shoegaze scene, still played a LOT in my world.

Enjoyed the album. I still have trouble with the 1-5 stars vs a scale of 10 stars. Verbally I consider : 1-terrible 2-bad 3-fine 4-good 5-great. I did think this was a good album. Certainly not a 4 but will continue to be generous with my rounding. 3.5 goes to 4

It’s ok. Good vibes but overall not particularly interesting

I only knew Vapour Trail, which is probably the best thing on here, but I'm always happy to find more shoegaze, even if it means coming to terms with having completely spaced a "classic" album during its heyday.

Well, this might be the shoegazingiest shoegazing rock album I've ever heard. Turns out, too much is really too much.

I wish I would have found this album in high school. Love the soft/heavy combination of all the songs. Good stuff

I think pretty good, like if you mix Wilco with the Beach Boys sort of. Not necessarily something I’ll come back to but I appreciated the listen.

Meh. Didn’t care for it. Too long and nothing stood out.

If only they werent British 😪 Like the cranberries but no good riffs and replace the good woman singer with the mid dude singer.

Really solid shoegaze album. Reminds of swirlies and a toned down mbv. God I can’t wait until mbv comes up in this project

Here’s another obscure British band, with an album titled “Nowhere”. The internet claims they are a famous shoegaze band, which I now know involves ethereal background and distorted guitars. The album title says it all for me. Nothing memorable.

Now,here's a boring album. Shoegaze is definitely in competition (with Prog and Blues rock) for my least favorite genre. Are there even vocals? Who can tell over all this tedious guitar.

Mostly pleasant, but nothing outstanding or memorable.

it's a no from me

"seagull" is nice

352/1089 a nice 90s dreamy indie pop rock record, overstayed its welcome a little but mostly enjoyed it faves: Seagull, Kaleidoscope, Vapour Trail 62/100

Ride is easily my least favorite of the shoegaze big three. Still a classic tho.

This one’s a bit hard for me to rate. I actually had to listen to much of it twice. I completely zoned out and fell asleep while listening the first time, which is unusual. I put it on headphones and started again. It’s interesting. It’s hypnotic. It doesn’t impinge. This last fact is striking given how noisy it can get. But the mix maintains a constant wave throughout, melody or abrasive distortion, it all becomes one. I do believe this influenced other groups with which I am more familiar AND I think I have a vague memory of encountering a different Ride album in my early college days. It all combines for a dreamy impression. I want to rate it higher than 3… but I just don’t think I can muster it on this scale. But it is… Boolean: True

It’s just noise really

Hmm. Okay. Not a "shoegaze" fan (Christ! Look at the audience FFS!) but this wasn't bad ... and I understand the list tries to encompass 'all' genres (and if that means including more UK acts, well hey!). But I don't need to hear it again.

1.47

Forgettable.

It was fine, I guess.

Pretty good.

At times interesting and atmospheric, at times just loud.

This was great. Lagged a bit in the middle but the final song is a stunner.

Ride – Nowhere (1990) I explored Ride's shoegaze staple Nowhere and found it to be a great, immersive experience, landing a 4/5. Having a strong affinity for atmospheric soundscapes like Darklands, this album successfully delivered that lush, wall-of-sound guitar production. The dreamy textures and driving rhythms set a fantastic mood throughout, proving to be a highly rewarding listen that handles its genre beautifully.

I’ve never heard of shoegazing rock but I enjoyed this introduction to it. Some of it sounded like noise but some of it, like Seagull & Vapour Trail rocked. Other songs (Nowhere) kind of droned on. This does not at all sound like the decade in which it was produced. (3.5)

Enjoyed hearing this at last. It was more poppy and similar to the Stone Roses than I'd expected.

Thursday, 25 June, 2026 Solid shoegaze. Both MBV albums are significantly better.

Not bad, would’ve liked more melody and the singer is a bit too Ian Brown. I like shoegaze though so I’d listen again

Very advanced for 1990

Really enjoyed this. Very easy to put it on and get lost for an hour Best Song: Vapour Trail Rating: 7/10 Stars: 4

They wish they were The Stone Roses. They aren't

Rate: 10/10.

Not bad, not great. More palatable vocals would suit the music a bit more?

Cool. They sound like a mix of The Cure and Stone Roses. 4 stars

As a massive shoegaze hater, this album was a LOT better than I had expected. The "noise" was honestly fairly minimal, it was mostly just ... pretty typical indie fuzz? There were a few tracks with a bit of dissonance but nothing offensive. Ultimately my main issue with this album was actually that a lot of it was just plain boring. "In A Different Place" and "Polar Bear" were just dull and uninteresting. Props to the drummer for actually doing something but every other element was severely lacking. The vocals throughout aren't exactly great, but they're also not the worst. I preferred the tracks with some energy, favourite track was probably "Kaleidoscope". Expected this to be a 1 or a 2, but it definitely exceeded my expectations based on the listed genres, so going to go with a 3. Still not something I'm going to revisit but I survived listening to it without ripping my ears off so credit where credit's due and all that.

This really sounds like the child of MBV and Slowdive. Got good aspects of both but hasn't got the peaks of either. I think the thing holding this back from a 5 is that his voice isn't very impressive but it's mixed all the way to the front. The guitars are very impressive tho. The songs with energy are notably better than the slower paced songs but both are good. That might be personal preference tho High 4

Best track - Vapour Trail, otherwise it didn't really take me anywhere.

Cutie, not bad

A little mid. Not my favorite

Apparently I don't know WTF "shoegaze" is because I wouldn't have called this *that*.

I like Ride

I think it’s a good un. My listening has just been so disjointed and I need to move on.

Post-rocky shoegaze that mostly fades into the background. Drowsy and moody, drowning the listener in a wall of guitar drones and hazy clouds of drum beats. The vocals are meandering and at times incomprehensible, yet somehow fit with the sound they're trying to go for. I really enjoy the crescendoing instrumental outros to songs like "Vapor Trail", layering a beautiful cavalcade of instrumental textures into a strong melodic moment releasing the tension that has built up throughout the track. The album has its moments, but sort of overstays its welcome. Fails to justify its length. Average 2.5/5.

I’d rather gaze at my shoes

Favorite Track: Seagull

Fine but pretty dull.

1.5-2

The stone roses if their producer had checked out years ago

One of my favorite albums of all time and the album that I believe is the peak of the "big 3" shoegaze records. What a monster this is. "Seagull" is one of the best opening tracks of any album, let alone any DEBUT album, and "Vapor Trail" bookends it with maybe the greatest shoegaze song of all time. Sure, a lot of people aren't as interested in the jangly 60s-inspired sound of this album as much as, say, Loveless, but this is my favorite flavor of shoegaze. God bless these guys. Also one of the few albums on this list that I can think of where the extended version is essential. The extra 7 songs from the EPs are JUST as good.

mediocre at best

Great Songs: Vapour Trail Good Songs: Seagull, Paralysed, Kaleidoscope Mid Songs: Dreams Burn Down, Decay, Polar Bear Bad Songs:

Enjoyed this one a lot. Great 90's sound, reminded me of Sonic Youth

Time and place for this, just now here and not now

Not a huge fan

Eh

Awesome background noise rock dream. I liked this.

beach boys and depeche mode met on the set of scooby doo and experimented with rock

Wow this list was really made by a middle-aged British man.

ah british shoegaze, thank you for killing my ears.

Decent album.

2. Didn't do anything for me

boring af

hoooonk shooooo

had some good songs. not much of a shoegaze guy

Really enjoyed this one. The guitar throughout this album is great, and the solos really stand out.

This was pretty good. Nowhere starts off very strongly and, while the rest of the album doesn't quite live up to the opening songs, I enjoyed it.

I liked it but I didn't love it, I wouldn't put it on again tho, if I could give it a half star it would be 3.5

Super shoegaze album, amazing sound and songs. Defo need to listen to more of it. Best song: Seagull

Surprised I hadn’t heard this before. Stone Roses style shoe gaze. Nice

Great sound, songs could be stronger.

This is an album which really knows when to go for it and when to pull things back. Seagull is an immense way to kick things off, a sweeping wall of sound, homing in on and washing out the “rock out” elements of what made The Stone Roses debut so successful the year before. At the same time Ride, with the same pallet of reverby guitars and huge, thudding drums, are more than capable of producing emotional little ballads like In a Different Place. There are a small number of songs, each of epic proportions and never a wasted moment.

It’s the highest of 4s for me, i’ve been on the edge of loving this album a few times and i’m still on that edge. The immensity (thanks Rich) of the first track pops up periodically and crushes every time. On the final track they nail the songwriting element of the tracks. Between these two it’s all a very coherent and strong vibe but the songwriting doesn’t match the quality of the sonics consistently enough for me to push it into the 5s.

I accept that I'll never be a fan of shoegaze, but this was better (by a slight margin) than the two MBV albums I've listened to. The distortion annoys me. It's like a radio station that you can't quite tune in but you can hear the music along with the static - annoying.

some songs were good, but it got too long and i did not enjoy it that much, i like long songs, but these did not get my interest.

Just okay.

This was unexpectedly good. Emotions, dirty guitars, cozy melancholy. I imagine myself in the bar, sipping beer in the corner and looking at people doing their thing.

Meh.

So so sick

Shoegaze goodness.

This is alright but I don’t love it. Definitely not anywhere near the level of mbv.

I prefer this to any other "shoegaze" albums I've heard so far, and that probably owes a lot to the fact they actually seem interested in making some cohesive, melodic music and not just noise rock. I could enjoy spending more time with this one, I think.

I loved this. Vibey 90s music, great for background work.

Ride is on the Mount Rushmore for classic shoegaze. Nowhere is about equally as revered as Loveless, but is a little less popular. Definitely an essential shoegaze record and just a really great listen. Don't sleep on their next record Going Blank Again which is equally good or even better. Their career after that is uhh, existent. But at the time they were riding a killer big wave

Boring. I get the appeal of this post punky sound and it's played well, but ecery song sounds the same and it's over an hour long. By the second part I was begging for it to end. Had it been shorter, it would've been a middle of the road 3-3.5 album. This way, it's a 2.5/5

Okay

Makes you want to look at your shoes…

Just too long, needed editing, some great tracks but all sounds the same near the end

Paralyzed made me stop what i was doing and take a moment to reset myself. Album itself was average but paralyzed and a couple other yracks were strong standouts

I kind of went backwards with Ride, first learning of them when Carnival of Light came out. I couldn't understand why it was considered such a disappointment. Nowhere and Going Blank Again make it clear

I first heard ride with a later album, and while I really liked them, I didn't come to them when they were one of the early pioneers of Shoegaze. Therefore, when I came back to this album, it didn't hit as hard for me, and I rated it a 4 out of 5. However, going back to it again for this listen, I was struck more by the strength of the album, and it did hit for me harder. I would still give it a 4.5, but I have to round up for this scale.

3.5 - Good

Idk if I couldn’t hear well but missing on lyrics

Cure for insomnia

Forgettable

i've listened to Ride in the past, but i don't think i've heard this album yet. as usual, my rating is based on the OG tracklist (not the expanded edition) Seagull - 5/5 Kaleidoscope - 5/5 In a Different Place - 4/5 Polar Bear - 4/5 Dreams Burn Down - 5/5 Decay - 4/5 Paralysed - 4/5 Vapour Trail - 5/5 Average score: 4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Usually not a fan of shoegaze but this one was pretty good

An extraordinary series of events kept interrupting my attempt to listen to this album: fatigue, phone calls, my phone died, etc. It was when I thought I had finally powered through two-thirds of the record, and discovered I was only on track three, that I understood: the universe doesn’t want me to hear this album, the title is perfectly apt, and I just need to move on.

I've always wanted to check out Ride; I like what I've heard of Andy Bell's solo work and I was also a big fan of Hurricane #1 before he left to go join Oasis or something. I found a lot to like about this album. While it's regarded as a shoegaze classic, at times it sounds very Stone Rosesy, elements of it clearly influenced baggy, britpop and post-britpop; I caught ideas here that felt like they'd inspired The Verve, BRMC, The Charlatans and early Blur just for starters. Also clearly sowing the seeds of what Hurricane #1 would go on to do. I did feel like it ran just a little too long and while I have no problem with long-form melodic noise, it meandered just a little. On multiple listens, I checked in on the tracklisting and was shocked to see I was still only three quarters of the way through. In the right mood, excellent and clearly very influential.

For the majority of this album we were in one star territory. I found this unbelievably boring, my mind started to wander by track 3. Then we got to Taste, banging track. Really enjoyed it. The next two were really good to give a strong finale to quite a dull album. I wish I had found the rest of it as entertaining. Top Track - Taste Edit: found out after writing this that the only tracks I liked were bonus ones which I do not count.

S'alright. Not much else to say, honestly. It's music.

Just sounds like noise, not in a good way

2.5

This sounded like a second-rate Stone Rosrs

Vocals were extra in my opinion, but overall not too bad!

Un 7/10 bien merite. J'aime le drummer fou des premieres tounes, mais ça smessoufle assez rapidement.

Un peu comme habiter dans un corridor aérien à Dorval; c'est ben bruyant et ça me passe des milliers de pieds par-dessus la tête. 2.5 étoiles

very fun ambient album Rating: 3.5/5 - GEMV (18.95.2026)

chato e legal.. nostálgico. se eu tivesse escutado na época talvez fosse um 4 estrelas.

Mostly this album just faded into the background and I would occasionally say oh yeah, music is playing.

Sounds like the Smiths once they've had a little caffeine. It's perfectly well-done, just not my jam.

I both liked and disliked this.

Love!!!

Enjoyed this but it is a long album!

This one's relatively unpopular huh? I guess I can see why people might not be into it. It drones. I like it though. It's not something I pull out a lot, but it's kinda like My Bloody Valentine taken down a notch or two and sometimes you want that. I love the album cover too.

This has gotta be one of the longest running albums in my backlogs, i’ve put this thing off for like a decade, i’m a massive shoegaze fan and am aware it’s one of the big 3 alongside Loveless and Souvlaki and i’m like yeah i’ll listen to it eventually, *10 years later*. I see how its the 3rd pillar cause it isn’t really like the other 2, it’s more psychedelic and noise oriented? Ik loveless is more psychedelic but idk how it word it, point is it stands apart from the other 2. I do like it a lot and my enjoyment never seriously dipped, but it is one of those Double albums that while good throughout, still don’t justify their lengthy runtime. Glad i finally got to this though, it’s about time. Standouts are dreams burn down, unfamiliar and sennen.

great album great band

cool album.

Listened

I will listen to this again a few times. I haven’t heard of this band or album. It’s very 90s. I like it.

If this caught me on a better day I might enjoy it more. Shoegaze is sometimes my jam and sometimes not. Overall I’m just surprised to hear this is one of the best the genre has to offer? It’s not bad, just, that’s it??

Not my cup of tea

Good background noise.

A big ol’ meh fest, especially in contrast to the generational run of albums Ive been on the past month or so. Try as I might, I can never escape the sad British guy music for too long. “In A Different Place” was alright, but I was good as done halfway through the album. 2/5

This is good

Top band.

wow this is great

Am Anfang dachte ich das wird nen cooles album aber iwie wurde es sehr schnell sehr mid

Pretty good shoegaze - but doesn't do a whole lot for me, rounding down.

When I was a freshman or sophomore in high school I came across this album and thought it was pretty cool. Revisiting in my mid-30s, it’s not all that captivating. I think at the time I was drawn in by the shoegaze Wikipedia page, the cool album cover, and the layers of sound on opening track Seagull (which I still think is great). The real standout track though is Vapour Trail, which closes the album. So yeah, Nowhere starts strong and ends strong. Everything in between is pretty forgettable but altogether decent noise pop/shoegaze.

2.5

I don't like shoegaze but sure

pas mal mais rien de très innovant 2.9

I like this in small doses. Maybe one or two songs. But an entire album is overwhelming and intense. It felt very long. Nevertheless, I'll return to listen to select songs again. Edit to add: I just went back and watched a video of Ride's, "Unfamiliar", and holy hell these guys are so freaking cute. 15 year old me in the 90s would have definitely been more into this music had I known they were so incredibly good looking. I am a sucker for that side part, undercut, hair-hanging-in-the-face, skater look. We should definitely bring that back. And the longish, shaggy short hair... like so many guys back then in 1990 were growing their hair super long because of metal and grunge, but I was always more fond of the boys who just kept it messy on top. I will bump my rating up from a 3 to a 4 for aesthetic purposes. Edit again: Annnnnd I just watched another video of them circa 2024, and they are still very hot and more age appropriate for me to think so.

unremarkable

Not sure how Rolling Stone could call this album a masterpiece. To be sure, the band has some talent and the song construction is very good. Sounds a lot like what would ultimately become the sound of bands like Oasis later in the decade. That said, if you ever wondered why you never really heard of this band - the latest in the string of name English bands who belong nowhere (put fully intended) near this list - look no further than the lead singer. He is inferior in just about every way. Not only does have zero range with a pretty monotonous sound, but his voice is terribly uninteresting. I just couldn't get past it. At least I got to listen to "one of shoegazing's enduring moments", whatever the hell that means. 3 stars and that is being generous.

Day 34 — Ride — Nowhere (1990) Listened: May 2–3, 2026 Genre: Shoegaze / Dream Pop / Alternative Rock Vibe: Dense walls of distorted guitar washing over buried melodic hooks — atmospheric and hypnotic but anxiety-inducing in its relentlessness. Highlights: ★ Unfamiliar Impression: Two listens and couldn't get through it comfortably. Anxious tone that was hard to settle into. Hooks are there if you dig but felt nothing overall. Not my world. Rating: 1.1/5 Keep songs? Yes Revisit album? Maybe — pending a few more days

The music is ok. Much or it is overproduced synth pop, but tolerable. There’s a couple of songs that are pretty good musically. But man, I HATE how he sings on this. The whiny thing is clearly intentional but I don’t find it good at all.

I love this one, a shoegaze absolute classic

Another discovery from this website that I like. All the songs are good and it is now on my playlist.

Not my vibe att all. The singing and music all got tangled up in each other and don't know what to think other than that I don't want any more of it. I'm not sure if its the mixing or what but obviously its intended this way and some people seem to enjoy it. To me this is worse of a distortion than some of the early punk bands from this list.

Shoegaze legend, enjoyment is based solely on your enjoyment of the genre, not my thing compared to others from this era but it's just fine

Ihan outo genre.

I don’t like My Bloody Valentine at all, so this isn’t as crazy a statement as it might be otherwise, but I liked this better than Loveless. It was less screechy and fuzzy. This was pretty poppy shoegaze. I didn’t hate it.

A medio camino de nada. Ni eran los Smiths, ni de Manchester. ni nada. Sonaron en la radio y veo que tienen su público en las islas, pero no creo que sean una banda que represente algo concreto. Prescindibles.

8.5 / 10

I wasn’t impressed at the beginning but I really liked it. Sort of a Deftones meets Oasis type of thing

good

Nothing special

As a massive shoegaze fan this album has never really clicked with me completely. Lacking vocals and a tendency to be to strongly connected to its rock roots are what really put me off.

The music was incongruous with the vocals, which were mostly dreamy and ethereal and very British. Wikipedia calls it shoegaze, and it seems like an intentional effort not to engage, even as they're more than getting their money's worth out of the drummer. The jangly guitars spoke to something a little stronger than the sameness I heard across tracks. Nothing to see on Nowhere.

Пространство волшебной волны.

Shoegazing - love it. New term to me and perfectly encapsulates this ethereal rock styling.

Shoegaze royalty

nothing particularly interesting but inoffensive chill listen

5 stars, no notes. This has been the soundtrack to my life since I first heard it in my late teens. A cracker of a record, from the opening feedback and cymbals of 'Seagull' before the bassline kicks in, it takes me on a journey back to my late teens and early 20s, especially seeing them in an earsplittingly loud show at The Old Lion Hotel in North Adelaide, touring 'Going Blank Again' - notable for a 10minute or so version of 'Nowhere' which closes out this album. I love the youthful exuberance of the feedback and swirling guitars, Steve Queralt's basslines keeping everything nailed down, and Loz Colbert's frenetic drumming which manages to keep things moving whilst simultaneously beating the ever-loving shit out of his kit - if you ever get a chance to see them live, keep an eye on Loz, he works damn hard and is sooooo goood. Fave tracks - 'Seagull', 'Vapour Trail', 'Polar Bear', 'Dreams Burn Down', 'Taste', and if you are listening to the expanded version 'Sennen' which was originally on the 'Today' EP which came out around the same time

Listened previously. Expectations: High - Verdict: Very Good - Seagull is a strong opener, it sets the tone for the album very well. There is more structure or rigidity to this album than most shoegaze records which I like. It's almost more like The Stone Roses than MBV. Really good album all round.

This was an interesting listen, like if the stone roses decided to become a shoegaze band. Admittedly wasn't paying full attention and it started slowly so I'd dismissed it a bit but then a proper feedbacky bit kicked in and I started paying attention. Felt like the songs had more care then the Jesus and Mary chain but I think playing almost a completely different song drenched in distortion is sort of what shoegaze is. Should have listened more intently, sorry ride. From what I took in, better than average, 3.5

Much like the albums title, I was left a bit adrift here. Noise rock noises, loads of static and mumbles.

More noise rock! This list has exposed me to a fair amount of noise rock now. I'm definitely not fully sold, although when it's good, I do like it. This definitely had a more acceptable level of noise and distortion compared to the Jesus and Mary chain album we had a while back. Enjoyed it, but still not fully sold on the noise rock concept 3.5

Good.

I gotta be honest… I went into this with somewhat low expectations. Shoegaze is a genre I’m sort of familiar with, and it’s pretty hit or miss for me. This album is also a good few minutes longer than that godawful Moby album I had to suffer through yesterday. So it’s not hard to see why I was a bit scared for this one. It was actually pretty damn good. Interesting vocal production and some catchy riffs. Nothing groundbreaking or particularly amazing, but still pretty good. Very noisy, but done in a way that still felt kinda calm and dreamy. Can definitely see myself going back to listen to some of these songs in the future. I’ll give this one a 3.7/5, rounded up to 4. Favorite songs: Seagull, Polar Bear, Nowhere, Unfamiliar, Sennen

2 1/2. I wanted to like it more.

For shoegaze this is pretty great sonically. It's got a lot more texture than I expect from the genre. I almost struggle to think of it as shoegaze. Seagull is a cool opener especially in the rhythm section letting the distortion on the guitars really push out. Did these guys have influence from The Replacements? This is a pretty solid album and made sense at the time. Sure, have it on the list.

Decay is a song I would have locked onto in my youth. There are a couple okay tracks, but mostly forgettable. The instrumentation is better than the vocals. This isn't really required listening.

Just...meh

ok

A big bowl of nothingness. Incredibly monotonous to listen to, felt like a bit of a chore. The distorted, not easy to understand vocals throughout the album was grating but some of the music was decent enough. The very definition of the word meh.

5/10 I can only think bands thought they were doing us a favour by making their albums so long - less time trapsing back and forth to the CD player, less analysis paralysis and decision fatigue. Of course, now I want my albums honed and toned, with not fat. This is a 41mins album with 30mins of padding. Get it on a strict diet and it would have been decent, maybe even good. But as it is, it lumbers around, needing regular sit downs.

Shoegaze in line with My Bloody .....

Explorative, but they all sound the same. Favourite song: Vapour Trail

A bit boring shoegaze but it's not bad

seemes like a crossover album between 80 new wave and 90 alt rock. not my favorite at all. notes of REM and the breakfast club , precursor to Oasis maybe.

I'm conflicted about this album, because I definitely need to be in a specific mood/space for it. There's so much high end and it's so shiny that if I'm not ready for it and in that mood, I just feel kind of overwhelmed. But when it's what I'm looking for, it's super cool. Glad to have listened to/gotten to know this!

I am gazing intently at my shoes as I listen, it's not helping.

Another album that I was surprised to learn that I had never listened to, nor heard about. It is no DISINTEGRATION by The Cure, but this album does an incredible job of walking that very fine line between creative risk and accessibility. I understand why this album was so foundational to later Shoegazer artists and albums. The secret sauce is the extremely well mixed instrumentals, keeping everything heard but not overwhelming. If I had one criticism, it would be that the vocal mix could have been brought forward just a hair more on most of the songs and the overall album length is a tad overindulgent. After hearing the album, it feels like a good to very good album, with occasional moments of inspiration and greatness. I cannot stand Oasis, Blur, or most of that ilk from the 1990s, but these guys captured something interesting with this one. Front half seems significantly more interesting to me than the back half. After hearing "Vapor Trails", I was surprised because it actually felt like one of the weaker tracks to me. It felt like this was the inflection point of the album; what was probably intended to be the crest of the wave, as it were. Above average lyrics, but the marrying of the lyrics to the instrumentals and song arrangement doesn't quite work for me. Hard to rate this one. Without the creative relevance to later acts, it would be a solid 3 to 3.5, but with the grounds of their creative relevance and the fact that I added 5 tracks to my library today, makes me feel like I should bump it up to a 4. So, 4 stars it is. Faves: "Seagull", "Dreams Burn Down", "Decay", "Here and Now", and "Today"

I’ve heard worse shoegaze

Hey that's a great opening track! It has Midnight Oil surf rock kinda vibes, it really invokes the cover art. Not a huge fan of the vocal tone, I would have preferred them to build an instrumental around it. But musically speaking it sounds great. Oh! And how about that outro. Seagull was a true breath of fresh air. … unfortunately the rest of the album didn’t live up to that same hype. It would have been a 2/5 if not for Seagull.

Highlights: Seagull, Kaleidoscope, Polar Bear, Decay, Paralysed, Vapour Trail For the record, I only went through the original 11 CD tracks - no more, no less. It was surprisingly decent given my apathy towards shoegaze. It felt way more approachable than expected, which is kinda weird because then this record deserves to be more well known than it is. And yes, this was my first exposure to the group. While it wasn't offensive to the ear, it wasn't really something I would really go out of my way to play again. It sounds like some generic afternoon radio material that sounds good enough to not make me want to change the station. I didn't pay too much mind to the lyrics because shoegaze just loves to numb my brain. Except for Decay and Paralysed, that shit got very depressive lol. I feel like the lyrics did get better by the end. Vapour Trail was also a highlight in that regard. Honestly, I would kinda like the tracklist better if it ended there, as it does on the LP release. As it is evident by the number of highlights I've noted, I liked a good number of tracks, but the record still kinda felt average.

Instrumentals are amazing. Vocals aren’t. Type 1 “The Smiths” syndrome.

Pretty cool listen, they were tapping into something a little different to other bands around that time. Like they’d already progressed from the grunge sound and created something else. In that context I can understand why this is on the list

Favourite Songs: Seagull Dreams Burn Down

Track 1 & 2: Ok this isn't for me. Track 3: Ok, there's something here. Maybe not an album I love, or something I'd listen to again, but enjoyable if unmemorable. Like Oasis but without the magic.

3/5, interesting wall of sound

There really is no such thing.

I like Ride. My mate Russdog in Texas burned me a CD years ago. That was Going Blank Again, which is a great album. Nowhere is Ride with far less polish, raw emo-shoe gaze. Not nearly as strong as their follow up.

Yeah. This is good stuff.

I didn't like this one at all. It's very 90s, meaning I feel in the 90s there were a lot of bands trying this sound that was later catalogued as alternative rock, some of those bands hit the jackpot and the rest sound a lot alike, and that's how this album sounds to me. It could be any alternative rock band from the 90s. It's tryhard.