A ride through the tried and tested

The shoegaze renaissance continues apace. Following in the footsteps of My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, Ride are the latest to mark their reunion with new material. Weather Diaries is the Oxford quartet's first album since 1996 and it sounds like the intervening 21 years never happened. Rather than reinvent or update their sound, Mark Gardener and co have largely stuck to their tried-and-tested formula and songs like Lannoy Point and Cali ably tick the "dreamy", "squally" and "wall of sound" boxes, while Lateral Alice and All I Want introduce a bristling energy and upbeat choruses into the mix. Elsewhere, producer Erol Alkan's influence can be most keenly felt on the electronic murmur of Rocket Silver Symphony, but overall this is a record made for fans rather than one to sway new converts.