British musician Andy Bell turns 50 today, but it turns out he’s got a birthday present for us: Word of a new solo album, and a wonderful lead single in “Love Comes In Waves.” The RIDE guitarist, known for his work in Oasis, Hurricane #1, Beady Eye, and as a prolific collaborator, will release The View From Halfway Down on October 9 via Sonic Cathedral.
Bell’s debut solo album was engineered by his former Oasis bandmate Gem Archer.
“I’ve always wanted to make a solo album, I’ve always said I would do it, although I never imagined it happening like, or sounding like, this one does,” Bell says. “I’d been sitting on this pile of almost finished tracks, along with all the other hundreds of ideas that had fallen by the wayside since I’ve been making music. Lockdown gave me the opportunity to find a way to present it to the world.”
Judging from its lively new single, Bell’s introductory sound as a solo artist seems to be leaning into ’60s psych-pop.
“The album is not about songwriting,” he adds. “There aren’t many verses or choruses, because this album is about sounds, a listening experience.”
Watch the “Love Comes In Waves” video, by Chris Tomsett / Innerstrings, below.