Formed in 1988 in the English city of Oxford by Andy Bell (vocals, guitar), Stephan Queralt (bass), Mark Gardener (vocals, guitar) and Loz Colbert (drums), Ride was one of the sensations of English rock at the beginning of the decade 1990, mainly as a result of the excellent first two albums — Nowhere (1990) and Going Blank Again (1992). Under the influence of My Bloody Valentine and other bands from the shoegaze era, the band combined distortion and melody in their music, creating some notable hits of that time, such as "Vapour Trail", "Leave Them All Behind", "Twisterella", "Ox4" and "I Don't Know Where It Comes From".
In 1994, Ride released their third album, Carnival of Light. This work presented a change in the band's sound, moving towards more conventional psychedelic rock. Carnival of Light was not well received by critics and did not please fans. At this time, conflicts between Andy Bell and Mark Gardener were growing. The group's fourth album, Tarantula, was released in 1996. However, before that, in January of the same year, the group had already announced its end.
After the breakup, Andy Bell formed a band called Hurricane #1, but the project was dissolved when he was invited to play bass for Oasis. Ride reunited in 2001 for a single television show performance.
At the end of 2014, the band announced a new comeback. The following year, the group toured playing at festivals such as Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (United States) and Primavera Sound Festival (Spain). A new studio album, titled Weather Diaries,, was released in 2017, 21 years after Tarantula. Two years later, the band released This Is Not a Safe Plac. Continuing in activity, the group returned in 2024 with new studio work. Interplay was received by critics, who pointed out the band letting go of shoegaze.
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