British rock band Slowdive return to the shoegaze scene with their fifth studio album, “Everything is Alive.”

“Everything Is Alive,” released Sept. 1, 2023, is the culmination of the almost six years that followed their 2017 reunion album, “Slowdive,” with guitarists and vocalists Rachel Goswell and Neil Halstead, guitarist Christian Savill, bassist Nick Chaplin and drummer Simon Scott all returning to collaborate. Their latest fifth full-length LP is well-defined in its post-rock and shoegaze elements, albeit not as groundbreaking and earth-shattering as their self-titled comeback.

Even so, “Everything Is Alive” is a transcendent and atmospheric listen that may scratch that shoegaze itch for some, while others will gladly shelve it for its genre-conforming ways, many of which Slowdive established themselves.

Slowdive was in good company when they debuted in the early 1990s, with shoegaze legends like My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins in prominence. However, none of their contemporary music can eclipse what the 90s legends achieved during their formative years with “Souvlaki.” They pioneered gritty and crunchy yet heavenly textures with the press of a guitar pedal, literal shoegazing, and a mysteriousness that cannot easily be replicated, although many have tried.

Songs like “Alife” and “Shanty” highlight their indistinct lyrics washed over by immaculately toned reverb-heavy guitars that pour over the whole body in waves of vibrations. Unsurprisingly, the band continuously has that effect throughout the record. Even on cuts like “Andalucia Plays,” which sees the band take a barebones approach, there is a delicate catharsis in Halstead’s vocals that take over your body, much like the heavier tracks on the record do.

Slowdive remains a master in layering textures and soundscapes of noisy and heavy guitars, and their sound is more cohesive and consistent than ever. The shoegaze outfit managed to modernize its mature shoegaze sound with new electronic synths and ambient elements not previously seen in their past projects, resulting in nothing short of a hauntingly beautiful wall of shoegaze sound.