Without question, one of the prettiest songs of 2023 is “kisses” by British dream rock band Slowdive. Though they formed way back in 1989, I’m embarrassed to admit I was not familiar with them until hearing “kisses” this past June (which may partly be due to the fact they’ve never had a single chart in the U.S., and only two of their albums have appeared on the Billboard 200 Album chart). Consisting of Rachel Goswell on vocals, guitar and keyboard, Neil Halstead on vocals and guitar, Christian Savill on guitar, Nick Chaplin on bass guitar and Simon Scott on drums, they rose to prominence in the British shoegaze scene in the early 90s. (In a recent NPR interview with Scott Simon, Halstead explained that the term “shoegaze” originated in the early 90s when a journalist from the British music magazine Melody Maker coined it to describe bands such as Slowdive who didn’t have much stagecraft and spent a lot of time looking down at their shoes as they frequently turned their guitar pedals on and off.)

While their second studio album Souvlaki (1993) initially received mixed reviews, it has since been recognized as one of the best albums of the 90s and one of the greatest shoegaze albums of all time by Pitchfork, NME and PopMatters, among others. (Wikipedia) Slowdive broke up soon after the release of their third studio album Pygmalion in 1995, but reunited in 2014, and released their fourth studio album, the self-titled Slowdive, in 2017. They dropped their stunning fifth album Everything Is Alive on September 1st, which became their first top 10 album ever, reaching #4 in the Netherlands, #6 in the UK and #7 in Germany. Though I think it’s one of the best albums of 2023, it only peaked at #63 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. Unbelievably, “kisses” has not appeared on any singles chart, however, it’s the new #1 song on MY chart! About the gorgeous album and song, Halstead told NPR: “A lot of the album is sort of about time passing. And I suppose, seeing as we’re all getting on a bit now, that’s one of the things we’re writing songs about… and ‘kisses’ is about having a second act, having a different chance in life.” Those dreamy synths, shimmery chiming guitars and sublime harmonies are simply breathtaking.

In other chart developments, “Walk Through the Fire” by Virginia singer-songwriter The Frontier, and “Good Vibrations” by Texas duo MISSIO move up two spots to #3 and #4, and Irish singer-songwriter Hozier enters the top 10 with his magnificent “Francesca”. The biggest upward movers are “Loving You” by L.A. dream pop band Cannons, and “Running Out of Time” by Nashville alt-rock band Paramore, both jumping 6 spots to #14 and #15, respectively. Debuting this week are “THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND” by American metalcore band Bad Omens, at #28, “Hold Me Like a Grudge” by American rock band Fall Out Boy, at #29, and “HONEY (ARE YOU COMING?)” by Italian rock band Måneskin, at #30.

1. KISSES – Slowdive (2)
2. OVERRATED – dwi (1)
3. WALK THROUGH THE FIRE – The Frontier (5)
4. GOOD VIBRATIONS – MISSIO (6)
5. PINEAPPLE SUNRISE – Beach Weather (3)
6. DIAL DRUNK – Noah Kahan (8)
7. ODYSSEY – Beck & Phoenix (9)
8. SAY YES TO HEAVEN – Lana Del Rey (4)
9. FRANCESCA – Hozier (11)
10. CALL ME WHAT YOU LIKE – Lovejoy (7)
11. CANNONBALLERS – Colony House (14)
12. FORGIVING TIES – Deer Tick(15)
13. DAYDREAMS AND ALGORITHMS – Eleanor Collides (17)
14. LOVING YOU – Cannons (20)
15. RUNNING OUT OF TIME – Paramore (21)
16. THE NARCISSIST – Blur (10)
17. WHAT WAS I MADE FOR? – Billie Eilish (19)
18. WHEN WE WERE CLOSE – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (22)
19. BAD IDEA RIGHT? – Olivia Rodrigo (24)
20. OVERCOME – Nothing But Thieves (25)
21. PULL ME THROUGH – Royal Blood (26)
22. PUPPET SHOW – Beck Black (12)
23. BONES – Healer (13)
24. UNDER YOU – Foo Fighters (28)
25. LAST TIME EVERY TIME FOREVER – Grian Chatten (16)
26. MY KINDA GIRL – The 23s (29)
27. DARLING – Western Jaguar (30)
28. THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND – Bad Omens (N)
29. HOLD ME LIKE A GRUDGE – Fall Out Boy (N)
30. HONEY (ARE YOU COMING?) – Måneskin (N)