Slowdive

Slowdive is a dream-pop shoegaze band that formed in Reading, England, in 1989. They were part of the 1990s shoegaze movement, a genre characterized by its ethereal and atmospheric sound, often featuring layers of distorted guitars and dreamy vocals.

The name "Slowdive" was inspired by a dream of bassist Nick Chaplin. It is also the name of a single by Siouxsie and the Banshees. They came up with the moniker at a school youth club where they used to rehearse. "I just remember we were coming into rehearsal and sorting out names, and [Nick] saying 'I had a dream that Slowburn was the name,'" co-vocalist Neil Halstead told When The Sun Hits. "And Rachel was like, 'Well, how about Slowdive?' She was a big Siouxsie and the Banshees fan. I didn't know Siouxsie at the time, but I just thought the name fit."

Signed to Creation Records in 1990 and initially championed by the British music press, the band's reputation took a downturn when their 1991 debut album, Just For a Day, received middling reviews.