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RIDE x PÊTR ALEKSÄNDER RELEASE COLLABORATIVE ALBUM “CLOUDS IN THE MIRROR”

May 1, 2020

A MODERN CLASSICAL RE-IMAGINATION OF RIDE’S “THIS IS NOT A SAFE PLACE” 

OUT NOW – MAY 1st (WICHITA RECORDINGS / PIAS)

Clouds in the Mirror Available on LP, CD, Vocal Digital Version, and Instrumental Digital Version 

Clouds in the Mirror is released today a re-imagined modern classical version of Ride’s critically acclaimed Top 10 UK album from 2019, This Is Not A Safe Place, the collaboration is delivered to stunning effect by Pêtr Aleksänder.

The concept for the collaboration was originally conceived in the early days of 2019 when members of Ride contacted Pêtr Aleksänder – after falling for the swelling strings, expansive sounds and gentle crescendos of their album Closer, Still. A mutual appreciation of sweeping, cinematic post-rock was established and over a series of email exchanges a dialogue evolved around reinterpreting the tracks on This Is Not A Safe Spaceusing only the vocals as a guide.

Ride’s Andy Bell says: ‘Pêtr Aleksänder took our album’s vocal tracks and formed an entirely new album around them, and the results are inspired, often really beautiful, and at times, totally mental. They have crafted a delicate web of string and synthesiser arrangements which draws you into a whole other world than our version of the album. I love what they’ve created.’

Pêtr Aleksänder say: ‘Reimagining Ride’s album was a treat. We took a rather unusual approach: although fans of Ride in the first instance, we nevertheless resisted listening to anything other than each track’s main vocal before setting to work, beginning exclusively with string and piano arrangements inspired by the main vocal. Focusing on the sentiment of the vocal and re-interpreting it with our own arrangements resulted in combinations of melody, harmony and emotion that would have been very hard to achieve via a more conventional songwriting / composing approach. We even waited until the band had released the album before choosing to listen to the songs in their original state – a strange experience for us given that we knew our versions of the same songs so well by that point!’

Today sees the release of Clouds in the Mirror, including ‘Repetition’ and ‘Clouds of Saint Marie’ crafted into something completely fresh and unique, giving a tantalising insight into the album’s direction. ‘Repetition’ sees fragmented snatches of Mark Gardner and Andy Bell’s original vocals intersperse haunting strings and understated electronica, whilst ‘Clouds of Saint Marie’ floats above chopped chords and a light, effervescent and beautifully urgent arrangement.

Clouds in the Mirror was initially recorded in April 2019 at Eastcote Studios in London and finished towards the end of 2019 when Ride returned to the UK from their album world tour.

Ride are Andy Bell, Mark Gardener, Laurence Colbert, and Steve Queralt.

Pêtr Aleksänder are Tom Hobden and Eliot James.

‘This Is Not A Safe Place’\

‘Might well be their best album yet…. Utterly rejuvenated…. There isn’t a duff moment to be found within these 12 tracks’

Q Magazine **** 

‘Ride still show no sign of basking in past glories…. Ride exist in the now and are all the better for it’

Clash 8/10

‘Shoegaze legends have returned full of vitality’

The Independent

‘The mercurial Oxford band’s second album since their 2014 reformation benefits from a wealth of creativity and experimentation’

NME.com *****