Andy Bell - The View From Halfway Down

 
The Ride man's first proper solo release won't disappoint fans of his band with 8 expansive tracks of propulsive uptempo shoegaze, misty psych-pop and layered acoustic songwriting.

Ride guitarist/singer Andy Bell releases his debut solo album The View From Halfway Down. Not only does the announcement signal a brand new chapter for him thirty odd years into his career, it also coincides with his fiftieth birthday. The product of a gradual, four-year process and finished during lockdown, the album was entirely written and recorded by Andy, engineered by Gem Archer and mastered by Heba Kadry.

Back in 2016, Andy was inspired by David Bowie’s death to be more proactive about finishing his songs, more confident about sharing them and to channel all of this into finally making a solo album. He laid down some tracks in former Beady Eye and Oasis bandmate Gem’s studio, but got diverted when Ride’s live reunion blossomed into a full return. A run of two albums, an EP and two world tours later, it would take a pandemic to give Andy the space to complete The View From Halfway Down.

So there you have it. The near death of a cartoon anti-hero and the actual death of a music legend, feeling the calm within a global pandemic and a musical turning point halfway through life all add up to one glorious, technicolour whole.

Tracklist:
1. Love Comes In Waves
2. Indica
3. Ghost Tones
4. Skywalker
5. Aubrey Drylands Gladwell
6. Cherry Cola
7. I Was Alone
8. Heat Haze On Weyland Road