{{Short description|Genre of alternative rock music}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}} {{Infobox music genre | name = Shoegaze | other_names = Shoegazing | image = Pleasure Centre.jpg | caption = Guitarist performing with an array of effects units | etymology = 1991, referencing guitarists in the genre who stared downwards at their [[guitar pedals]] | stylistic_origins = *[[Indie rock]]<ref name="all_music"/> *[[alternative rock]]<ref name="ReynoldsNYT">{{cite news |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Reynolds |date=1 December 1991 |title=Pop View; 'Dream-Pop' Bands Define the Times in Britain |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/01/arts/pop-view-dream-pop-bands-define-the-times-in-britain.html?pagewanted=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200902043640/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/01/arts/pop-view-dream-pop-bands-define-the-times-in-britain.html?pagewanted=1 |archive-date=2 September 2020 |access-date=7 March 2010 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> *[[neo-psychedelia]]<ref name="xlr8r"/> *[[psychedelic music|psychedelia]]<ref name="xlr8r"/> *[[noise pop]]<ref name="P4K review">{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16605-isnt-anything-reissue-loveless-reissue-eps-1988-1991/|title=My Bloody Valentine: Isn't Anything / Loveless / EPs 1988–1991|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=11 May 2012|access-date=17 April 2015|last=Richardson|first=Mark|archive-date=17 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417141303/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16605-isnt-anything-reissue-loveless-reissue-eps-1988-1991/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/style/noise-pop-ma0000012156|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602055716/http://www.allmusic.com/style/noise-pop-ma0000012156|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 June 2012|title=Noise Pop : Significant Albums, Artists and Songs, Most Viewed |website=[[AllMusic]] |date=2 June 2012}}</ref> *[[dream pop]]<ref name="xlr8r"/> *[[post-punk]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Bonner |first=Michael |date=3 November 2017 |title=Going Blank Again: a history of shoegaze |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/going-blank-history-shoegaze-102240/3/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603075518/https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/going-blank-history-shoegaze-102240/3/ |archive-date=3 June 2020 |access-date=26 September 2025 |website=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]}}</ref> *[[ethereal wave]]<ref>{{cite book |last= Bernard |first= Olivier |title= Anthologie de l'ambient |publisher= Camion Blanc |year= 2013 |isbn= 2-357-794151| quote= L'ethereal wave (et notamment les Cocteau Twins) a grandement influencé le shoegaze et la dream pop.}}</ref> *[[punk rock]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Lyons |first=Patrick |date=August 11, 2021 |title=The Heavy Music To Shoegaze Pipeline. Deafheaven producer Jack Shirley and members of Nothing, Alcest, Cloakroom, and more discuss the wave of metal and punk musicians delving into dream-pop |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2156923/nothing-deafheaven-heavy-music-to-shoegaze-pipeline/columns/sounding-board/ |website=[[Stereogum]] |access-date=31 December 2024 |archive-date=28 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128201612/https://www.stereogum.com/2156923/nothing-deafheaven-heavy-music-to-shoegaze-pipeline/columns/sounding-board/ |url-status=live }}</ref> *[[garage rock]]<ref name="xlr8r"/> *[[space rock]]<ref name="space rock">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/space-rock-ma0000012255|title=Space Rock |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=5 March 2019|archive-date=29 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329215305/https://www.allmusic.com/style/space-rock-ma0000012255|url-status=live}}</ref> | subgenres = * [[Christian shoegaze]] | fusiongenres = * [[Blackgaze]] * doomgaze | regional_scenes = | local_scenes = | other_topics = * [[ambient music|Ambient]] * [[glide guitar]] * [[post-rock]] * [[post-metal]] * [[grunge]] * [[Britpop]] * [[shitgaze]] * [[Wall of Sound]] * [[soft grunge (music)|soft grunge]] | cultural_origins = Late 1980s–early 1990s, United Kingdom | derivatives = * [[witch house (genre)|Witch house]]<ref name="lindsaycam">{{cite web |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/translator-witch_house |title=The Translator - Witch House |last=Lindsay |first=Cam |publisher=Exclaim.ca |date=31 January 2011 |access-date=20 July 2011 |archive-date=22 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422085813/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/translator-witch_house |url-status=live }}</ref> * [[grungegaze]] * [[zoomergaze]] }}
'''Shoegaze''' (originally '''shoegazing''') is a [[subgenre]] of [[indie rock|indie]] and [[alternative rock]] characterised by ethereal soundscapes, obscured vocals, and extensive use of guitar effects and [[distortion (music)|distortion]]. Rooted in [[Phil Spector]]'s [[Wall of Sound]], [[the Velvet Underground]], and [[psychedelic pop]] of the 1960s, the genre originated in the late 1980s and early 1990s mainly among British acts who based their sound on groups such as [[Cocteau Twins]], [[the Jesus and Mary Chain]], and [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]]. "Shoegazing" was coined in 1991 by music executive [[Andy Ross (music executive)|Andy Ross]] and first used by the British music press as a [[pejorative]] for bands with a motionless stage presence and guitarists who directed their look down towards their [[guitar pedals|effects pedals]]. It was sometimes used interchangeably with "[[dream pop]]".
The original scene developed after the introduction of [[Kevin Shields]]' [[glide guitar]] technique on My Bloody Valentine's 1988 records ''[[You Made Me Realise]]'' and ''[[Isn't Anything]]''. Concentrated in [[London]] and the greater [[Thames Valley]] region, its core acts included [[Ride (band)|Ride]], [[Swervedriver]], [[Slowdive]], [[Chapterhouse (band)|Chapterhouse]], [[Lush (band)|Lush]], and [[Moose (band)|Moose]]; they often attended each other's concerts, shared producers and labels ([[Creation Records|Creation]] and [[4AD]]), and adopted similarly abstract approaches to album artwork. Another journalists' term of derision, "The Scene That Celebrates Itself", was applied to these musicians and adjacent non-shoegaze acts such as [[Stereolab]].
Shoegaze reached its peak in 1991 with the release of My Bloody Valentine's second album, ''[[Loveless (album)|Loveless]]'', but was overshadowed by the rise of the American [[grunge]] scene and the following [[Britpop]] movement. In subsequent years, a gradual critical reassessment was driven by new listeners discovering the genre through the Internet. Numerous revivals have since emerged in the form of [[nu gaze]] (sometimes "second-wave shoegaze") and [[blackgaze]] in the 2000s, [[grungegaze]] in the 2010s, and [[zoomergaze]] in the 2020s. Other music styles, such as [[Witch house (genre)|witch house]], have reconfigured aspects of the genre.
==Etymology==
=== Origins === The term ''shoegaze''—originally ''shoegazing''—was coined by [[Andy Ross (music executive)|Andy Ross]], who was a part-time ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'' contributor and head of [[Food Records]], the label that promoted [[Blur (band)|Blur]].<ref name="kard25">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=95}}</ref> On March 15, 1991, Ross attended [[Lush (band)|Lush]]'s concert at [[the Venue (New Cross, London)|the Venue]] in [[New Cross]] with his then assistant Polly Birkbeck, where Blur and [[Moose (band)|Moose]] also performed as support.<ref name="kard25"/> According to Birkbeck, Ross jokingly referred to Moose as "shoegazers" after noticing vocalist Russell Yates continuously looking down at his shoes during the set;<ref name="kard25"/> guitarist Kevin McKillop later explained that Yates was actually reading lyric sheets placed on the floor as he couldn't remember them.<ref name="kard26">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=96}}</ref> According to writer Ryan Pinkard, an erroneous story claimed that Ross introduced the word "shoegazing" in a live review of the concert published in ''Sounds''.<ref name="kard26"/> Polly Birkbeck and Nathaniel Cramp (founder of [[Sonic Cathedral]]), whom Pinkard interviewed for his book on shoegaze, confirmed that no such review existed in issues of ''Sounds'' from that period.<ref name="kard26"/>
The earliest confirmed print use of the term appeared in the May 25, 1991, edition of ''[[NME]]'', where [[Steve Lamacq]], announcing [[Slowdive]]'s third EP, ''Holding Our Breath'', referred to the band as "shoe-gazers".<ref name="kard27">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pp=96–97}}</ref> This use predated Ross's recollection in his 2016 ''[[HuffPost]]'' article, in which he stated that he pitched "shoegazing" to Lamacq and fellow ''NME'' writer Simon Williams over lunch on October 9, 1991, after ''Sounds'' was shut down and he no longer had a publication in which he could promote his "groundbreaking genre".<ref name="kard27"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Ross |first=Andy |date=11 May 2016 |title=The Coining of a Genre |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/andy-ross/shoegaze_b_9892330.html |access-date=8 July 2025 |website=HuffPost UK |archive-date=19 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250819092529/https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/andy-ross/shoegaze_b_9892330.html}}</ref> According to Pinkard, the appearance of the term in print several months earlier than Ross's conversation with Lamacq and Williams suggested a problem with Ross's timeline, with the most likely explanation being that he "got the dates wrong".<ref name="Pinkard 2024 97">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=97}}</ref>
=== Criticism === The term shoegaze was initially used as a pejorative, which led to several musicians and journalists promptly criticizing it.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Bonner |first=Michael |date=2017-11-03 |title=Going Blank Again: a history of shoegaze |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/going-blank-history-shoegaze-102240/6/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241011060810/https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/going-blank-history-shoegaze-102240/6/ |archive-date=2024-10-11 |access-date=2026-04-10 |work=UNCUT |language=en-GB}}</ref> Ride's [[Mark Gardener]] stated that the term was an "English label", that wasn't known in Japan and America, he criticized the term for inaccurately representing "passionate" groups as apathetic and compared the style to [[the Velvet Underground]] who "could stand still and make a load of noise".<ref name=":3" /> Among first-wave shoegaze bands, "shoegazing" was also divisive, even more so than the term "The Scene That Celebrates Itself", coined a few weeks later by Steve Sutherland in ''[[Melody Maker]]'' on June 8, 1991, in a live review of Moose's concert at the [[Camden Underworld]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pp=97–98}}</ref> In the 2000s, the term "shoegaze" lost its negative connotations after the genre was reassessed amid a revival driven by new listeners discovering the music on the internet.<ref name="kard28">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=137}}</ref>
British music journalist [[Paul Lester]] stated, "All bands hate labels, but with shoegaze, the sense of derision was factored into the name from the word go".{{Sfn|Pinkard|2024|p=99}} Music journalist Chris Roberts stated that the term was "a throwaway comment in the pub", adding "It's such a lame name, and it doesn't even work as an umbrella term. I mean, loads of bands from other genres look at their feet. [[Pink Floyd]] stared at their shoes. Does that make them shoegaze?".{{Sfn|Pinkard|2024|p=99}} Musician [[Greg Ackell]] cited bands such as [[the Cure]] and [[the Jesus and Mary Chain]] as being "pretty fucking still on stage", noting that the Velvet Underground showcased "that kind of stoic, backlit presence".{{Sfn|Pinkard|2024|p=99}}
==Characteristics==
=== Sound === {{Listen | filename = 1998- karaoke.wav | title = "1998-" | description = "1998-" by dotstokyo, a [[Free license|freely-licensed]] shoegaze track }} Shoegaze combines ethereal, swirling vocals with layers of distorted, bent, or [[flanging|flanged]] guitars<ref name="xlr8r">{{cite web |last=Sisson |first=Patrick |title=Vapour Trails: Revisiting Shoegaze |url=https://xlr8r.com/features/vapour-trails-revisiting-shoegaze/ |website=XLR8R |date=2009-01-06 |access-date=2025-10-20}}</ref> to create a wash of sound where no instrument is distinguishable from the others.<ref name="all_music">{{cite web |title=Shoegaze |url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/shoegaze-ma0000004454 |access-date=2025-10-20 |website=AllMusic}}</ref> To achieve this, shoegaze musicians often employ a wide range of [[effects pedals]], including [[Reverberation|reverb]], [[Delay (audio effect)|delay]], [[Chorus (audio effect)|chorus]], [[tremolo]], and [[guitar distortion|distortion]].
According to ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'', shoegaze is "above all else" a space for exploring the outer edges of guitar texture, and emotionally it turns inward—it's "music for dreaming".<ref name="50best">{{Cite web |title=The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time |date=24 October 2016 |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9966-the-50-best-shoegaze-albums-of-all-time/ |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=Pitchfork |archive-date=12 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112080929/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9966-the-50-best-shoegaze-albums-of-all-time/}}</ref> Although shoegaze has at times been used interchangeably with [[dream pop]], the two are distinct.<ref name="30best">{{cite web |website=Pitchfork |title=The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-30-best-dream-pop-albums/ |date=16 April 2018 |archive-date=16 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916162819/https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-30-best-dream-pop-albums/ |access-date=24 April 2025}}</ref> [[Galaxie 500]] founder [[Dean Wareham]] explained the difference, noting that "shoegaze bands are more of an assault, a wall of sound", while dream pop allows "more room for melody and counter-melody, whether on vocals, keyboards, or guitars."<ref name="30best"/>
=== Visual style === According to Victor Provis the visual style of shoegaze album covers and music videos reflected its music.<ref name="provis1">{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=Caractéristiques sonores}}</ref> He wrote that the genre developed "an artistic code based on close-ups of objects, to the point of losing their definition and becoming nothing more than coloured, amorphous blotches"; it also often incorporated "fusions of images, projections, colour filters, and swirling cameras".<ref name="provis1"/> Meanwhile, ''[[Rolling Stone Australia / New Zealand|Rolling Stone Australia]]'', when placing ''[[Loveless (My Bloody Valentine album)|Loveless]]'' in its "100 Best Album Covers of All Times" list, noted that abstraction was a common visual aesthetic for turn-of-the-1990s shoegaze bands, including [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]], [[Ride (band)|Ride]], [[Slowdive]], and [[Swervedriver]].<ref name="100covers">{{cite web |title=The 100 Best Album Covers of All Time |website=Rolling Stone Australia |date=19 July 2024 |url=https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-best-album-covers-all-time-64137/my-bloody-valentine-loveless-4-64176/ |access-date=2025-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240809183152/https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-best-album-covers-all-time-64137/my-bloody-valentine-loveless-4-64176/ |archive-date=9 August 2024}}</ref> Slowdive's member [[Simon Scott (drummer)|Simon Scott]] considered that "[[Robert Smith (singer)|Robert Smith]], when he was in [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]] playing guitar [on the 1983's ''[[Nocturne (Siouxsie and the Banshees album)|Nocturne]]'' live video], was the coolest as he just stood there and let the music flood out", which was like anti showmanship.<ref>{{cite web |first=Dom |last=Gourlay |url=http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4136609-shoegaze-week--dis-talks-to-simon-scott-about-his-time-in-slowdive |title=Shoegaze Week DIS Talks To Simon Scott About His Time In Slowdive |website=[[Drowned in Sound]] |date=23 April 2009 |access-date=10 September 2015 |archive-date=6 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906045449/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4136609-shoegaze-week--dis-talks-to-simon-scott-about-his-time-in-slowdive}}</ref>
== History == === 1960–early 1980s: Roots and early influences === {{See also|Psychedelic pop}} {{quote box | quote =The influences were very '60s, with the Beach Boys, the Beatles, and the [[Phil Spector]] "[[Wall of Sound]]." I think we were trying to turn that into something from our era that was more violent, more of a sonic assault. | source =—[[Alan Moulder]], producer.<ref name= Pinkard18>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=18}}</ref> | align = | width =25% }} Shoegaze traces its roots to [[Phil Spector]]'s [[Wall of Sound]] technique,<ref name= Pinkard18 /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Beaumont |first=Mark |date=2021-01-17 |title=Phil Spector: producer and convicted murderer with a toxic legacy |url=https://www.nme.com/features/phil-spector-dead-genius-producer-convicted-murderer-toxic-legacy-2858323 |access-date=2025-12-08 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref> along with the [[psychedelic pop]] pioneered in the 1960s by bands such as [[the Byrds]], [[the Beach Boys]], and [[the Beatles]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=17}}: "... there was a rediscovery of the psychedelic pop of the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Byrds."</ref> Songs such as "[[Tomorrow Never Knows]]" (1966) by the Beatles<ref name= Pinkard18 /> and "[[All I Wanna Do (The Beach Boys song)|All I Wanna Do]]" (1970) by the Beach Boys have been retrospectively viewed as early predecessors of the genre.<ref>{{cite web |last=He |first=Kristen S. |title=Isn't Anything: How Shoegaze Has Never Been Easily Defined |website=Junkee |date=22 February 2024 |url=https://junkee.com/longforms/shoegaze-legacy-explained |access-date=2025-12-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241130144141/https://junkee.com/longforms/shoegaze-legacy-explained |archive-date=30 November 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> Other influences include the Velvet Underground, [[the Stooges]], [[MC5]], and the [[garage rock]] compilation albums ''[[Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968|Nuggets]]'' and ''[[Pebbles (series)|Pebbles]]''.{{Sfn|Pinkard|2024|p=21}}
Additionally, writer Vernon Joynson cites [[David Bowie]]'s song "[["Heroes" (David Bowie song)|{{-'}}Heroes{{'-}}]]" (1977) written by Bowie and [[Brian Eno]], as showcasing "the type of noisy production with distorted and reverberated guitars and a dreamy hazy atmosphere all of which became key ingredients of shoegaze".{{Sfn|Joynson|2023|p=45}} [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]] and [[the Cure]] are equally formative influences.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tyler |first=Kieron |date=17 January 2016 |title=Reissue CDs Weekly: Still in a Dream - A Story of Shoegaze |url=http://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/reissue-cds-weekly-still-dream-story-shoegaze |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406130852/http://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/reissue-cds-weekly-still-dream-story-shoegaze |archive-date=6 April 2017 |access-date=17 December 2016 |publisher=theartsdesk.com}}<br />{{cite news |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/01/arts/pop-view-dream-pop-bands-define-the-times-in-britain.html |title=Dream-Pop' Bands Define the Times in Britain |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1 December 1991 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203054651/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/01/arts/pop-view-dream-pop-bands-define-the-times-in-britain.html |access-date=3 March 2014|archive-date=3 December 2013 }}</ref>
=== 1982–1988: Origins === {{See also|Neo-psychedelia|Dream pop|Noise pop}} [[File:Cocteau Twins 1986.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Often classified as [[dream pop]], Scottish band [[Cocteau Twins]] paved the way for the shoegaze genre.]] As a music genre, shoegaze developed in the 1980s, when a group of Scottish and Irish bands such as [[Cocteau Twins]], the Jesus and Mary Chain, and—most notably—[[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]] reimagined the sound of the [[electric guitar]], combining contrasting sonic textures with dreamy vocals that challenged the idea of the singer as the central figure of the band.<ref name="25years">{{cite web |last=Cardew |first=Ben |title=25 Years After Its Imperial Phase: Who Killed Shoegaze? |website=The Quietus |date=2016-01-05 |url=https://thequietus.com/opinion-and-essays/black-sky-thinking/shoegaze-ride-slowdive-mbv/ |access-date=2025-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405143815/https://thequietus.com/opinion-and-essays/black-sky-thinking/shoegaze-ride-slowdive-mbv/ |archive-date=2024-04-05 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Emerging from the UK alternative scene with their 1982 debut album, ''[[Garlands (album)|Garlands]]'', on [[4AD]], the Scottish trio Cocteau Twins had a substantial influence on the development of shoegaze.<ref name="kard4">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=20}}</ref> Their music featured ethereal, atmospheric guitar textures crafted by guitarist and producer [[Robin Guthrie]], alongside [[Elizabeth Fraser]]'s distinctive, often unintelligible vocals, which were mixed low in the recordings.<ref name="kard4"/> Another Scottish group, the Jesus and Mary Chain, is credited as the immediate forerunner of shoegaze.<ref>{{cite web |last=Parys |first=Bryan |date=2019-09-13 |title=Shoegaze Music: 17 Songs That Chart the Genre's History—and Its Future |url=https://www.berklee.edu/news/berklee-now/do-you-shoegaze-primer-underground-genre |access-date=2025-10-31 |website=Berklee College of Music |quote=While they are often described as shoegaze, the term didn't exist ... but for many, the Jesus and Mary Chain is where the genre broke ground.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251030222004/https://www.berklee.edu/news/berklee-now/do-you-shoegaze-primer-underground-genre |archive-date=2025-10-30 |url-status=live}}</ref> Blending conventional [[Pop music|pop]] with [[noise in music|noise]] and guitar [[feedback]], their 1985 debut album, ''[[Psychocandy]]'', exerted a major influence on the subsequent shoegaze bands, including My Bloody Valentine, with [[Creation Records]] founder [[Alan McGee]] noting that the latter "changed their style because of The Jesus and Mary Chain."<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=Les racines du mouvement}}: "« Les Jesus And Mary Chain ont eu une influence énorme sur le son de My Bloody Valentine et ce qui est connu maintenant sous le nom de scène shoegaze. Je pense même que My Bloody Valentine a changé leur style à cause de Jesus And Mary Chain » admet Alan McGee."</ref>
Parallel to this, groups such as [[Spacemen 3]] and [[Loop (band)|Loop]] revived elements of 1960s [[space rock]] in their first albums (''[[Sound of Confusion]]'', 1986; ''[[Heaven's End]]'', 1987), exploring minimalist, [[drone music|droning]] psychedelia over conventional pop structures.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=22}}</ref> According to [[Peter Kember]], Spacemen 3 "could be called a shoegaze band" due to their lack of "stage moves" and focus on their own sound rather than how they were "trying to look".<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pp=22–23}}: "Sonic Boom: Spacemen 3 could be called a shoegaze band by the fact that we did not have any stage moves. ... It was all about the sound we were trying to create and not how we were trying to look."</ref>
Across the Atlantic, American indie bands such as [[Sonic Youth]], [[Dinosaur Jr.]], and [[Hüsker Dü]] also helped shape shoegaze's guitar language,<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=23}}</ref> particularly influencing My Bloody Valentine.<ref>{{cite web |last=Parkes |first=Taylor |date=May 10, 2012 |title="Not Doing Things Is Soul Destroying" - Kevin Shields Of MBV Interviewed |website=The Quietus |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/08745-kevin-shields-interview-mbv-my-bloody-valentine |access-date=May 11, 2024 |archive-date=2025-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251002233028/https://thequietus.com/interviews/kevin-shields-interview-mbv-my-bloody-valentine/ |quote=Then when Bilinda joined, around that 86-87 period, we were getting into Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr, ''Sister'' and ''EVOL'' by Sonic Youth…}}</ref> In 1988, after several stylistic and lineup changes, the group released their breakthrough third EP, ''[[You Made Me Realise]]'', on Creation Records, which showcased frontman [[Kevin Shields]]' newfound approach to guitar playing, known as "[[glide guitar]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pp=27–28}}</ref> Later that year, their debut album, ''[[Isn't Anything]]'', was critically acclaimed<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=29}}</ref> and credited with establishing the shoegaze genre.<ref name="50best"/>
Other late-1980s British bands such as [[A.R. Kane]], [[The House of Love]], [[Kitchens of Distinction]], [[Bark Psychosis]], and [[The Telescopes]] were also credited with contributing to the sound that would later develop into shoegaze.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pp=24–25}}</ref>
=== 1989–1996: Prominence and decline ===
==== Rise of the scene ==== Shoegaze began to emerge as a distinct music scene in late 1989 and came into full view in 1990.<ref name="kard5"/> [[Ivo Watts-Russell]] signed [[Lush (band)|Lush]] and [[Pale Saints]] to his record label [[4AD]] after seeing them both perform at the same concert at [[The Camden Falcon]] in April 1989.<ref name="How Soon">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iCPH4iyQf3MC&dq=%22camden+falcon%22&pg=PT216|title=How Soon is Now? The Madmen and Mavericks who Made Independent Music 1975-2005|first=Richard|last=King|year= 2012|publisher=[[Faber & Faber]]|isbn=9780571278329|chapter=11 Gigantic}}</ref> In September 1989, 4AD released Pale Saints' first EP, ''Barging Into the Presence of God'', followed by Lush's debut mini-album ''[[Scar (Lush album)|Scar]]''. Both records produced by [[John Fryer (producer)|John Fryer]]—who had previously worked with Cocteau Twins—were well received by the British music press and each reached number 3 on the UK Indie Chart.<ref name="kard5">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=65}}</ref> In December, Pale Saints and Lush played a co-headlining show in [[Leeds]], which received a mixed live review from ''[[Melody Maker]]''.<ref name="kard5"/> [[File:Ride - band landscape.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|In 1990, [[Ride (band)|Ride]] emerged as shoegaze's most prominent act.]] In 1990, [[Ride (band)|Ride]] emerged at the forefront of the shoegaze movement. After signing with [[Creation Records]] the previous year, the group released three consecutive EPs—''[[Ride (EP)|Ride]]'', ''[[Play (Ride EP)|Play]]'', and ''[[Fall (Ride EP)|Fall]]''—followed by their debut album, ''[[Nowhere (album)|Nowhere]]''. Their televised performance of "Drive Blind" on ''[[Snub TV]]'', which coincided with the release of their first EP, helped bring the band to wider attention.<ref name="kard6">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=66}}</ref> ''Melody Maker'' and ''[[NME]]'' critics praised Ride's blend of dense guitar textures and melodic songwriting,<ref name="kard6" /><ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=70}}</ref> while ''Nowhere''—mixed by producer [[Alan Moulder]] after a troubled recording process<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pp=70–71}}</ref>—became one of the genre's defining works.<ref name="50best"/>
In February, Pale Saints released their debut album ''[[The Comforts of Madness (album)|The Comforts of Madness]]'', which ''NME'' described as having "absolutely no stinkers."<ref name="kard7"/> That same month, Lush issued the ''[[Mad Love (EP)|Mad Love]]'' EP, produced by Cocteau Twins' [[Robin Guthrie]], whose mentorship refined the band's once-chaotic sound into a polished, "beautiful, primitive" record, according to a ''Melody Maker'' review.<ref name="kard7">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=67}}</ref> In April, Creation released My Bloody Valentine's ''[[Glider (EP)|Glider]]'' EP, including the track "Soon", which reached number 2 on the UK Indie Chart and was later described by [[Brian Eno]] as "the vaguest music ever to have been a hit."<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=68}}</ref> The label also released debut EPs by [[Swervedriver]] (''[[Son of Mustang Ford]]'') and [[Slowdive]] (''[[Slowdive (EP)|Slowdive]]'' EP), the latter earning ''Melody Maker's'' "Single of the Week."<ref name="kard8">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=73}}</ref>
Meanwhile, [[The Boo Radleys]] released their debut album, ''[[Ichabod and I]]'', on Action Records, which received little attention from the press.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=69}}</ref> [[Chapterhouse (band)|Chapterhouse]] followed with the ''[[Freefall (EP)|Freefall]]'' and ''[[Sunburst (EP)|Sunburst]]'' EPs, while Lush's [[Sweetness and Light (EP)|Sweetness and Light]] EP demonstrated shoegaze's pop potential despite ''Melody Maker'''s critique of its title track as "sorely over-produced".<ref name="kard8"/> The year's end also saw Swervedriver's ''[[Rave Down]]'' EP, which bassist Adi Vines described as "ethereal metal" after it earned praise in a heavy metal magazine.<ref name="kard8"/>
By the end of 1990, shoegaze had gained significant underground traction. [[John Peel]] included three Ride songs on his year-end [[Festive Fifty]] list.<ref name="kard9">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=74}}</ref> Ride's ''Nowhere'' appeared in ''Melody Maker'''s Top 30 albums of 1990 (#20), while My Bloody Valentine's ''Glider'' (#5), Ride's ''Fall'' (#7), and Lush's ''Mad Love'' (#19) featured in the magazine's year-end singles poll.<ref name="kard9"/>
==== The Scene That Celebrates Itself ==== One common thread the British music press used to group shoegaze bands together was that many of them came from the [[Thames Valley]], a region including [[Oxford]] (home to Ride and [[Swervedriver]]) and [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] ([[Slowdive]] and [[Chapterhouse (band)|Chapterhouse]]).<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=37}}</ref> These groups, along with [[Lush (band)|Lush]] and [[Moose (band)|Moose]] (both formed in [[London]]) constituted the core acts of the original shoegaze scene.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=5}}: "... the original shoegaze scene—which included core acts Ride, Slowdive, Lush, Chapterhouse, Swervedriver, and Moose ..."</ref> My Bloody Valentine, however, wasn't part of the scene despite being the progenitors of the genre.<ref name="kard13">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=25}}</ref> [[File:Slowdive live 1992.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Slowdive]] performing live in 1992.]] Members of the scene often attended each other's concerts, shared producers and labels ([[Creation Records|Creation]], [[4AD]]), and adopted similar approaches to album artwork.<ref name="kard11"/> Notable meeting places included Syndrome, a weekly indie club on [[Oxford Street]], as well as venues such as [[The Falcon, Camden|the Camden Falcon]] and [[The Borderline (music venue)|the Borderline]].<ref name="kard10">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=76}}</ref> Outside London, the bands often toured together, and when the music press eventually took notice, the scene was quickly named and sensationalised.<ref name="kard10"/>
The phrase "The Scene That Celebrates Itself" was coined by ''[[Melody Maker]]'' journalist Steve Sutherland on June 8, 1991, in a review of a [[Moose (band)|Moose]] concert at the [[Camden Underworld]].<ref name="Pinkard 2024 97"/> He observed that the audience was filled with members of similar bands, including [[Damon Albarn]] from [[Blur (band)|Blur]], [[Miki Berenyi]] (Lush), Andrew Sherriff (Chapterhouse), and [[Mark Gardener]] (Ride).<ref name="kard11">{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc="The Scene That Celebrates Itself"}}</ref> Although Sutherland later noted that the term was intended as a compliment—reflecting his impression that the bands regularly attended each other's performances, which was unusual at the time—it was soon used derisively by the music press.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=77}}</ref>
Beyond the core groups, the scene also included artists such as avant-pop band [[Stereolab]], which frequently exchanged members with Moose, [[Th' Faith Healers]], and early [[Blur (band)|Blur]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=78}}: "But beyond them, The Scene also included the likes of avant-pop group Stereolab—who often swapped members with Moose and lesser-known noise act Th' Faith Healers—and a young Blur.</ref> In addition, the press also associated [[Catherine Wheel (band)|Catherine Wheel]], [[Curve (band)|Curve]], [[Cranes (band)|Cranes]], [[Silverfish (band)|Silverfish]], and [[Pale Saints]] with the movement, even if they had few or no ties to the London club scene.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=78}}: "Also frequently lumped in by the press were shoegazey bands like Catherine Wheel, Curve, Cranes, Silverfish, and Pale Saints, whether or not they had any meaningful connection to the London club circle."</ref>
==== The arrival of grunge ==== {{See also|Grunge}} In 1991, after winning ''[[Melody Maker]]''{{'s}} end-of-year readers' poll for Best Band, Ride appeared on the magazine's January cover, which proclaimed them "Your Brightest Hope for a Grand New Year."<ref name="kard15">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=81}}</ref> The group's extensive touring and the success of their fourth EP, ''[[Today Forever]]'', further elevated their profile and led to an appearance on ''[[Top of the Pops]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=83}}</ref> While this moment marked shoegaze's brief entry into mainstream culture, Ride's declining sales soon underscored the genre's limited mass appeal.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=84}}</ref> [[File:Kevin Shields.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.8|Following ''[[Loveless (album)|Loveless]]'', [[Kevin Shields]] retreated from public life and new recordings.]] Early 1991 saw a wave of several shoegaze releases. In February, Creation Records issued My Bloody Valentine's ''[[Tremolo (EP)|Tremolo]]'' EP, showcasing the band's experimentation with sampling.<ref name="kard15"/> Two weeks later, the label released [[Slowdive]]'s ''Morningrise'' EP, which ''Melody Maker'' praised for its "mutant orchestral beauty".<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=82}}</ref> Although [[Chapterhouse (band)|Chapterhouse]]'s third EP, ''Pearl'', received a negative review in ''NME'',<ref name="kard29"/> their debut album, ''[[Whirlpool (Chapterhouse album)|Whirpool]]'', became a commercial success.<ref name="kard19"/> In March, [[Moose (band)|Moose]] and [[Curve (band)|Curve]] debuted with the ''[[Jack (EP)|Jack]]'' and ''[[Blindfold (EP)|Blindfold]]'' EPs respectively, the latter noted for its unusual blend of [[dream pop]] and [[techno]] production.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=Curve}}: "... ''Blindfold'' EP sort bien en mars 1991, imposant un mélange improbable techno / dreampop."</ref> Meanwhile, [[Kitchens of Distinction]] released their second album, ''[[Strange Free World]]'', which, despite Patrick Fitzgerald's unconventional vocal style for the genre, went on to become a shoegaze classic.<ref name="kard29">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=85}}</ref>
Significant albums released during the first half of 1991 include [[Mercury Rev]]'s (''[[Yerself Is Steam]]''), Catherine Wheel's (''[[Painful Thing]]'' EP), [[Pale Saints]]'s (''Flesh Balloon'' EP), Slowdive's (''Holding Our Breath'' EP) and Swervedriver's (''[[Sandblasted (EP)|Sandblasted]]'' EP).<ref name="kard19">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=86}}</ref>
The release of Nirvana's ''[[Nevermind]]'' in September abruptly shifted global attention toward American [[grunge]]. Slowdive's debut album, ''[[Just for a Day]]'', released the same month, received a lukewarm critical reception, marking the first sign of shoegaze's decline.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pp=88–89}}</ref> In contrast, [[Swervedriver]]'s debut ''[[Raise (album)|Raise]]'' received stronger reviews, with Steve Sutherland describing it as "a great road movie for the ears".<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pp=90–91}}</ref> Lush's ''[[Black Spring (EP)|Black Spring]]'' EP also performed well but was overshadowed by lineup changes and exhaustion from relentless touring.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=91}}</ref>
{{listen| | filename = Soon.ogg | title = "Soon" | description = The closing track "Soon", from the 1991 album ''[[Loveless (My Bloody Valentine album)|Loveless]]'' by [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]]. }}
Shoegaze reached its peak in November 1991 with the release of [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]]'s ''[[Loveless (album)|Loveless]]''. Noted for its innovative production and dense, immersive sound, the album—reportedly costing £270,000 and recorded over two and a half years across nineteen studios—often tops lists of the best shoegaze releases.<ref>{{cite web |last=Beaumont |first=Mark |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/ten-best-shoegaze-albums-ever-1936528 |title=The ten best shoegaze albums ever |website=NME |date=6 January 2017 |access-date=5 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250307221928/https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/ten-best-shoegaze-albums-ever-1936528 |archive-date=7 March 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="50best"/> In December 1991, journalist [[Simon Reynolds]] introduced shoegaze to American readers as "dream pop" in ''[[The New York Times]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=93}}</ref>
==== Decline ==== {{See also|Britpop}} In 1992, shoegaze started to decline in popularity. Part of the growing backlash was linked to the perception that many shoegaze bands came from privileged, middle-class backgrounds.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=103}}</ref> ''[[NME]]'' reinforced this perception with a satirical column, "Memoirs of a Shoegazing Gentleman," written from the perspective of the fictional Lord Tarquin, who, in diary-like entries, described absurd situations at an elite boarding school supposedly attended by all shoegaze musicians.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pages=104–105}}</ref> {{quote box | quote = I think there was a genuine belief at the beginning that there was something middle class about the [shoegaze] music. I can't really say why, but it wasn't party music, let's say that.| | source = —[[David Quantick]], journalist, ''[[NME]].''<ref name="kard0">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=106}}</ref> | align = left | width = 25% | salign = right }} In January 1992, Lush's debut album, ''[[Spooky (album)|Spooky]]'', received a lukewarm review from ''NME'', which described the band as "due for a good kicking" after "a good run of press encouragement."<ref name="kard0" /> A week later, [[Creation Records]] released [[the Boo Radleys]]' ''[[Everything's Alright Forever]]''. ''NME'' hailed the band's confident attitude as a refreshing contrast to 1991's "(complacen)sea of mumbles."<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=107}}</ref> Meanwhile, Ride moved beyond their early shoegaze sound, drawing influence from such bands as [[R.E.M.]] and [[Massive Attack]] on their second album, ''[[Going Blank Again]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pages=107–108}}</ref> That year, Creation signed shoegaze band [[Adorable (band)|Adorable]], who were ultimately dropped after a string of Top 5 singles and the release of their 1993 debut album, ''[[Against Perfection]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=108}}</ref> Vocalist [[Pete Fijalkowski]] noted that after [[Sony Music|Sony]] partially acquired Creation in 1992, "there was enormous pressure on the label to make every band profitable".<ref name="prov">{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=L'arrivée de la britpop}}</ref>
The first half of 1992 also saw the release of ''[[Ferment (album)|Ferment]]'' by [[Catherine Wheel (band)|Catherine Wheel]], ''[[Doppelgänger (Curve album)|Doppelgänger]]'' by [[Curve (band)|Curve]], and ''[[In Ribbons]]'' by [[Pale Saints]]. Following ''Ferment'', Catherine Wheel adopted a heavier, more [[heavy metal music|metal]]-leaning sound on their 1993 album ''[[Chrome (Catherine Wheel album)|Chrome]]'', later moving toward straightforward [[hard rock]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=113}}</ref> In April 1992, the British music press began turning its attention toward the emerging [[Britpop]] movement, with ''[[Melody Maker]]'' featuring the then-unknown [[Suede (band)|Suede]] on its cover as "The Best New Band in Britain."<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=109}}</ref> [[File:Dropnineteens.jpg|thumb|In 1992, ''[[Melody Maker]]'' dubbed ''[[Delaware (album)|Delaware]],'' the debut album by American band [[Drop Nineteens]], "the first decent album" in the shoegaze style.{{citation needed|date=January 2026}}]] While facing growing hostility at home, shoegaze found renewed support in the US, where audiences were less influenced by the British music press.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=110}}</ref> In June 1992, American shoegaze band [[Drop Nineteens]] released their debut album, ''[[Delaware (album)|Delaware]]'', which ''Melody Maker'''s review ironically described as "the first decent album in a Scene style" to come from "America (Boston, to be precise), so late in the day."<ref name="kard120">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=120}}</ref> Other American bands soon followed with their own debuts, including [[Lilys]]' ''[[In the Presence of Nothing]]'' and [[Medicine (band)|Medicine]]'s ''[[Shot Forth Self Living]]'' in late 1992, and [[Swirlies]]' ''[[Blonder Tongue Audio Baton]]'' in early 1993.<ref name="kard120" />
In September 1992, [[Moose (band)|Moose]] released their debut album ''[[...XYZ (Moose album)|...XYZ]]'', produced by [[Mitch Easter]], who had previously worked with R.E.M. The album largely departed from the band's earlier shoegaze sound, incorporating [[country music|country]] influence.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=Moose}}</ref> That same month, ''Melody Maker'' ran a three-page feature by Paul Lester titled "Whatever Happened to Shoegazing?", which both announced Moose's new album and portrayed the British shoegaze scene as a brief, outdated phenomenon.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p= 114}}</ref>
A major turning point came in March 1993 with [[Suede (band)|Suede]]'s self-titled debut [[Suede (album)|album]], which became the fastest-selling debut in British history at the time and marked the rise of [[Britpop]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=116}}</ref> The movement accelerated in 1994 with greater successes for [[Blur (band)|Blur]]'s ''[[Parklife]]'' and [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]]'s ''[[Definitely Maybe]]'', presenting a lively, extroverted alternative to both [[grunge]] and shoegaze.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/britpop-ma0000002480|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20250730151859/https://www.allmusic.com/style/britpop-ma0000002480|archive-date=30 July 2025 |title= Britpop |website=AllMusic |access-date= 2025-11-10}}</ref> Oasis brought substantial commercial success to Creation Records, and after 1994 the label shifted its focus away from its earlier shoegaze roster.<ref name="prov"/>
June 1993 saw the release of [[Slowdive]]'s second album, ''[[Souvlaki (album)|Souvlaki]]'', which was dismissed by ''Melody Maker'''s reviewer notoriously writing, "I would rather drown choking in a bath full of porridge than ever listen to it again."<ref name="25years"/> That same month, Lush released ''[[Split (Lush album)|Split]]'' to a lukewarm reaction both critically and commercially.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=Lush}}</ref> Meanwhile, [[Swervedriver]]'s second album, ''[[Mezcal Head]]'', had a relative success, especially with the US audiences, where they toured with such bands as [[Soundgarden]] and [[the Smashing Pumpkins]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=119}}</ref> [[File:Lush in my backyard.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|[[Lush (band)|Lush]] were among several shoegaze groups to adopt [[Britpop]] in their most commercially successful album, ''[[Lovelife (album)|Lovelife]]''.]] After 1994, several shoegaze bands shifted to a Britpop-oriented sound, including Ride (''[[Carnival of Light (album)|Carnival of Light]]''), Lush (''[[Lovelife (album)|Lovelife]]''), and [[Kitchens of Distinction]] (''[[Cowboys and Aliens (album)|Cowboys and Aliens]]'').<ref name="prov"/> However, none of these albums maintained the bands' earlier commercial or critical standing, let alone elevated it—with the partial exception of Lush—particularly in contrast to [[the Boo Radleys]], whose 1995 single "[[Wake Up Boo!]]" propelled their album ''[[Wake Up! (The Boo Radleys album)|Wake Up!]]'' to number 1 on the UK Albums Chart.<ref name="kard3">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=121}}</ref> Meanwhile, [[Chapterhouse (band)|Chapterhouse]] moved toward [[alternative dance]] on 1993's ''[[Blood Music (Chapterhouse album)|Blood Music]]'',<ref name="kard120" /> while Slowdive explored minimalist [[electronica]] and [[post-rock]] on 1995's ''[[Pygmalion (album)|Pygmalion]]''.<ref name="kard3" />
In 1995, Creation Records owner [[Alan McGee]] dropped Slowdive a week after ''Pygmalion'' was released,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moreland |first=Quinn |date=10 April 2017 |title=Slowdive on Their First Album in 22 Years and Why Shoegaze Came Back |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1484-slowdive-on-their-first-album-in-22-years-and-why-shoegaze-came-back/ |access-date=2 July 2022 |website=Pitchfork |archive-date=4 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004235851/https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/1484-slowdive-on-their-first-album-in-22-years-and-why-shoegaze-came-back/}}</ref> and [[Neil Halstead]], [[Rachel Goswell]], and Ian McCutcheon soon formed [[Mojave 3]], pursuing a light, melodic blend of [[indie folk]] and [[Americana music|Americana]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Nugent |first=Annabel |title=Shoegaze pioneers Slowdive: 'A journalist said we'd be stacking shelves in Tesco within six months' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/slowdive-interview-rachel-goswell-shoegaze-b2403342.html |newspaper=The Independent |date=2023-09-04 |access-date=2025-11-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241005203227/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/slowdive-interview-rachel-goswell-shoegaze-b2403342.html |archive-date=2024-10-05}}</ref> Swervedriver were dropped while nearing completion of their third album, ''[[Ejector Seat Reservation]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=Swervedriver}}</ref> Ride, facing internal conflict, broke up in 1996 while working on their fourth album, ''[[Tarantula (Ride album)|Tarantula]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Horner |first=AI |title=Ride Interview: Backstage With The Returning Shoegaze Pioneers At Their First Gig In 20 Years |url=https://www.nme.com/features/ride-interview-backstage-with-the-returning-shoegaze-pioneers-at-their-first-gig-in-20-years-756699 |newspaper=NME |date=2015-05-08 |access-date=2025-11-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720125559/https://www.nme.com/features/ride-interview-backstage-with-the-returning-shoegaze-pioneers-at-their-first-gig-in-20-years-756699 |archive-date=2017-07-20}}</ref> Lush, after achieving their highest chart success with ''Lovelife'', ended abruptly the same year following drummer [[Chris Acland]]'s suicide.<ref>{{cite news |last=Valish |first=Frank |title=Lush - Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson on 1996 Album 'Lovelife' and the Last Days of the Band|url=https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/lush_-_miki_berenyi_and_emma_anderson_on_1996_album_lovelife_and_the_last_d/ |newspaper=Under the Radar |date=2015-04-28 |access-date=2025-11-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601031514/https://www.undertheradarmag.com/interviews/lush_-_miki_berenyi_and_emma_anderson_on_1996_album_lovelife_and_the_last_d/ |archive-date=2015-06-01}}</ref> Meanwhile, [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]] went on a two-decade hiatus, despite having signed with [[Island Records]] in 1992 for a reported £250,000.<ref name="kard3"/>
=== Christian shoegaze and Tooth & Nail Records === {{See also|Christian alternative rock}}[[File:Starflyer03.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Starflyer 59]] made shoegaze immediately accessible within [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] Christian communities throughout the United States.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hartse |first=Joel Henge |date=December 2014 |title=The Alternative Music Label That Shaped Evangelical Culture |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/2014/12/alternative-music-label-that-shaped-evangelical-culture/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250719004520/https://www.christianitytoday.com/2014/12/alternative-music-label-that-shaped-evangelical-culture/ |archive-date=July 19, 2025 |access-date=July 19, 2025 |work=[[Christianity Today]]}}</ref>]]
[[Christianity|Christian]] shoegaze emerged in the early 1990s alongside the rise of [[Tooth & Nail Records]], founded in 1993 by Brandon Ebel to support Christian artists working outside mainstream [[Contemporary Christian music|CCM]] conventions.<ref name="christ">{{harvnb|Provis|2018|loc=Christian shoegaze}}</ref> One of the label's first signings was [[Starflyer 59]], led by [[Jason Martin (musician)|Jason Martin]]. Influenced by the idea of combining dreamy melodies with the heavy guitar riffs of bands such as [[Black Sabbath]] and [[Deep Purple]],<ref name=":12">{{Cite news |last1=Detrow |first1=Scott |last2=Gotrich |first2=Lars |date=January 11, 2025 |title=Starflyer 59 reimagines three decades of music as lullabies |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5254358 |access-date=August 7, 2025 |work=[[NPR]] |archive-date=13 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250913025838/https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5254358 |url-status=live }}</ref> the band's first three albums—''[[Silver (Starflyer 59 album)|Silver]]'' (1994), ''[[Gold (Starflyer 59 album)|Gold]]'' (1995), and ''[[Americana (Starflyer 59 album)|Americana]]'' (1997)—displayed a strong shoegaze orientation. Despite its troubled recording process, ''Gold'' became a notable release, later ranking number 41st on [[Pitchfork (website)|''Pitchfork'']]'s "50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time" list.<ref name="50best"/>
Throughout the 1990s, Tooth & Nail also supported a few other shoegaze-leaning Christian groups, including [[Morella's Forest]] and [[Velour 100]]. These bands expanded the boundaries of [[Christian alternative rock]], but their experimentation often met with limited commercial success, along with frequent criticism from some conservative Christian audiences.<ref name="christ" /> By the late 1990s, many of these groups shifted away from their early shoegaze sounds. Starflyer 59 incorporated brighter, more [[indie rock]] arrangements on albums such as ''[[The Fashion Focus]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cummings |first=Tony |title=Starflyer 59: Creative fixtures of the US Christian underground |website=Cross Rhythms |date=2009-02-08 |url=https://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Starflyer_59_Creative_fixtures_of_the_US_Christian_underground/35075/p1/ |access-date=2025-11-18}}</ref> Morella's Forest moved toward an [[electronic pop|electropop]] sound, while [[the Prayer Chain]] (signed to Rode Dog Records) disbanded after their 1995 album ''[[Mercury (The Prayer Chain album)|Mercury]]''. The band's guitarist, Andy Prickett, later pursued non-Christian projects, producing young shoegaze acts such as [[the Autumns]].<ref name="christ" /> In 2001, [[Lift to Experience]] made their only album, [[The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads|''The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads'']], a Christian shoegaze album.{{Citation needed|date=February 2026}}
=== 2000s: Nu gaze=== {{main|Nu gaze}}
[[File:Sofia Coppola in 2003.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|The soundtrack to [[Sofia Coppola]]'s 2003 film ''[[Lost in Translation (film)|Lost in Translation]]'' is credited with helping revive interest in shoegaze in the new millennium.<ref name="guardian"/>]] Following its decline in the mid-1990s, most former shoegaze musicians moved into other careers, and the term "shoegaze" was often regarded as derogatory.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=135}}</ref> A gradual reassessment began in the early 2000s, driven by new listeners discovering the genre through the internet,<ref name="kard28"/> including the early social-media platform [[MySpace]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Bonner |first=Michael |title=Going Blank Again: a history of shoegaze |website=Uncut |date=3 November 2017 |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/going-blank-history-shoegaze-102240/ |access-date=2025-11-26}}</ref> Cinema also helped keep the style in circulation, with American indie films such as 1994's ''[[Amateur (1994 film)| Amateur]]'' and 1997's ''[[Joyride (1997 film)|Joyride]]'' featuring shoegaze music in their soundtracks.<ref name="kard21">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=138}}</ref> Director [[Gregg Araki]] used the genre extensively in his filmography, titling ''[[The Living End (film)|The Living End]]'' (1992) and ''[[Nowhere (1997 film)|Nowhere]]'' (1997) after releases by the Jesus and Mary Chain and Ride, while 2004's ''[[Mysterious Skin]]'' featured original music by [[Robin Guthrie]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Gregg Araki's films are giving the US a crash course in Shoegaze |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/aug/06/gregg-araki-kaboom-shoegazing |date=5 August 2011 |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=4 April 2020 |location=London |first=Phelim |last=O'Neill |archive-date=19 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319062857/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/aug/06/gregg-araki-kaboom-shoegazing |url-status=live}}</ref> Meanwhile, [[Sofia Coppola]], inspired by [[Wong Kar-wai]]'s ''[[Chungking Express]]''—a film noted for its shoegaze-like visual style and its Cantonese-language covers of [[Cocteau Twins]]' and [[the Cranberries]]' songs—recruited [[Kevin Shields]] to contribute original music to her Oscar-winning ''[[Lost in Translation (film)|Lost in Translation]]''.<ref name="kard21"/>
In the early 2000s, an international wave of bands taking influence from shoegaze began to take shape with England's [[My Vitriol]], Sweden's [[the Radio Dept.]] and France's [[M83 (band)|M83]]. Publications of the time called this "nu gaze". Following the release of their debut EP, ''[[Finelines]]'' (2001), My Vitriol experienced a sudden rise in notoriety, its single "Always: Your Way" entering the UK's top 40 charts, leading them to perform at [[Top Of The Pops]], [[Glastonbury Festival]] and [[Reading Festival]]. The following year the band went on hiatus, leading to the rise in popularity of the Radio Dept. and M83.<ref name="Morgan, 2016">{{cite web |last1=Morgan |first1=Steven |title=Whatever Happened To My Vitriol? |url=https://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4150558-whatever-happened-to-my-vitriol |website=DrownedInSound |access-date=22 January 2026 |language=en |date=26 October 2016 |archive-date=27 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027145309/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4150558-whatever-happened-to-my-vitriol |url-status=dead }}</ref> By 2007, the movement had led to an increased notoriety of contemporary albums by artists including [[Maps (band)|Maps]], [[Blonde Redhead]], [[Mahogany (band)|Mahogany]], [[Deerhunter]], [[Asobi Seksu]], and [[Ulrich Schnauss]].<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |last=Rogers |first=Jude |date=27 July 2007 |title=Diamond gazers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/jul/27/popandrock |access-date=2 December 2025 |work=The Guardian |archive-date=7 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307045900/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/jul/27/popandrock |url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2002, German record label [[Morr Music]] released ''[[Blue Skied an' Clear]]'', a two-disc [[Slowdive]] tribute album featuring indie electronic artists, many inspired by ''[[Pygmalion (album)|Pygmalion]]''.<ref name="kard21"/> Among them was [[ambient techno]] producer [[Ulrich Schnauss]], whose 2003 album ''[[A Strangely Isolated Place]]'' drew openly from the sound of Slowdive and [[Chapterhouse (band)|Chapterhouse]].<ref>{{cite web |title=A Strangely Isolated Place – Ulrich Schnauss |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-strangely-isolated-place-mw0000210642 |website=AllMusic |access-date=2025-11-26}}</ref> That same year, French electronic duo [[M83 (band)|M83]] released their second album, ''[[Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts]]'', which ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' retrospectively described as "the most original take on shoegaze in years".<ref name="50best"/> In 2003, ''Pitchfork'''s placed ''[[Loveless (album)|Loveless]]'' at number 2 on its updated "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s" list, introducing the album to a new generation of listeners.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=139}}</ref>
Throughout the 2000s, shoegaze grew increasingly referenced among listeners and new artists, with the term being loosely applied to releases such as [[Jesu (band)|Jesu]]'s ''[[Jesu (album)|Jesu]]'' (2004), [[Autolux]]'s ''[[Future Perfect (Autolux album)|Future Perfect]]'' (2004), [[Asobi Seksu]]'s ''[[Citrus (album)|Citrus]]'' (2006), [[Blonde Redhead]]'s ''[[23 (Blonde Redhead album)|23]]'' (2007), the self-titled debuts of [[A Place to Bury Strangers]] (2007) and [[The Pains of Being Pure at Heart]] (2009), and [[A Sunny Day in Glasgow]]'s ''[[Ashes Grammar]]'' (2009).<ref name="kard22" />
In 2006, former ''NME'' sub-editor Nathaniel Cramp established the label [[Sonic Cathedral]], which went on to release shoegaze-oriented work by [[bdrmm]], [[Whitelands]], deary, as well as solo projects from [[Emma Anderson]], Slowdive's [[Neil Halstead]], and Ride's [[Andy Bell (Welsh musician)|Andy Bell]].<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=142}}</ref>
==== Band reunions ==== [[File:Slowdive Primavera.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8| [[Slowdive]] performing at [[Primavera Sound|Primavera]] in 2014.]] In 2007, [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]] initiated a wave of reunions among former shoegaze bands by returning to the stage and later releasing their third album, ''[[m b v]]'', to critical acclaim.<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=144}}</ref> [[Chapterhouse (band)|Chapterhouse]] briefly reformed between 2008 and 2010, while [[Swervedriver]] resumed activity in 2008 and subsequently released new material: 2015's ''[[I Wasn't Born to Lose You]]'' and 2019's ''[[Future Ruins]]''. Ride reunited in 2015, touring internationally and releasing three new albums: ''[[Weather Diaries]]'', ''[[This Is Not a Safe Place]]'', and ''[[Interplay (Ride album)|Interplay]]''. [[Lush (band)|Lush]] returned in 2016 for a Europe and the US tour; although internal tensions during the tour led to another split, the reunion produced their final EP, ''[[Blind Spot (EP)| Blind Spot]]''. [[Drop Nineteens]] reformed in 2022, releasing their third album, ''[[Hard Light]]'', in 2023. Slowdive's reunion in 2014 was described as the most "triumphant" among other first‑wave bands,<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|pp=150–151}}</ref> and the group subsequently released two successful albums: 2017's ''[[Slowdive (album)|Slowdive]]'' and 2023's ''[[Everything Is Alive (album)|Everything Is Alive]]''.
==== Spreading influence ==== {{see also|Blackgaze|shitgaze}} During the 2000s, some bands began to adopt the influence of shoegaze into [[doom metal]], resulting in a distinct [[post-metal]] subgenre called "doomgaze". The founders of this style were [[the Angelic Process]], [[Nadja (band)|Nadja]] and [[Jesu (band)|Jesu]], who took doom metal's slow tempos and combined it with the wall-of-sound effects use of shoegaze, often in a [[lo-fi]] production style.<ref name="Camp, 2024">{{cite web |last1=Camp |first1=Zoe |title=Blissful Noise, Bad Vibes: A Doomgaze Primer |url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/doomgaze-list |website=[[Bandcamp Daily]] |access-date=26 February 2026 |date=1 August 2024}}</ref> It often particularly takes from the doom metal subgenre [[drone metal]].<ref name="AD, 2025">{{cite web |title=50 Essential Doomgaze Albums |url=https://arcticdrones.net/2025/04/30/essential-doomgaze-albums/ |website=arcticdrones |access-date=26 February 2026 |language=en |date=30 April 2025}}</ref> During the late 2000s, the genre's second wave emerged, fronted by [[True Widow]] and [[Planning for Burial]]. ''[[Bandcamp Daily]]'' writer Zoe Camp called [[True Widow]] the genre's "most pivotal ambassadors", with their third album, ''[[Circumambulation (album)|Circumambulation]]'' (2013), being the most commercially successful release in the genre.<ref name="Camp, 2024" /><ref name="AD, 2025" /> On their 2011 album ''[[Tunnel Blanket]]'', influential post-rock band [[This Will Destroy You]] departed from their usual sound, instead pursuing doomgaze.<ref name="AD, 2025" /> By 2024, there were 1400 albums tagged as doomgaze on [[Bandcamp]].<ref name="Camp, 2024" />
Also during the 2000s, French musician [[Neige (musician)|Neige]] pioneered the fusion of shoegaze and [[black metal]], called [[blackgaze]], as a part to of the projects including [[Alcest]], [[Amesoeurs]] and [[Lantlôs]]. According to ''[[Stereogum]]'' writer Michael Nelson, Alcest's 2005 EP ''[[Le Secret (EP)|Le Secret]]'' was "the birth of blackgaze".<ref name="Stereogum">{{cite web | url = https://www.stereogum.com/1617782/deconstructing-alcests-shelter-and-metal-in-a-post-deafheaven-world/franchises/deconstructing/ | title = Deconstructing: Alcest's ''Shelter'' And Metal In A Post-Deafheaven World | date = January 3, 2014 | access-date = October 5, 2015 | last = Nelson | first = Michael | publisher = [[Stereogum]]}}</ref>
2005 saw the emergence of [[shitgaze]], a music [[microgenre]] and scene, whose name referenced shoegaze.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Sherburne|first=Philip|date=2021-10-07|title=25 Microgenres That (Briefly) Defined the Last 25 Years|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/microgenres-25th-anniversary/|access-date=2025-07-20|website=Pitchfork|language=en-US}}</ref> The term was coined by Kevin DeBroux of Pink Reason to describe the music of the [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] rock band [[Psychedelic Horseshit]], who he later became the bassist for.<ref name="AnatomySpin2">{{cite magazine |last=Oliphint |first=Joel |date=June 2008 |title=Anatomy of a Scene – Sh*tgaze |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I8dEa7CkvDwC&dq=shitgaze&pg=PA44 |magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |page=44}}</ref> Front man Matt Whitehurst stated: I had a test of our first album that I was playing in the car [...] I was saying 'this is the shoegaze song' and he [DeBroux] said 'yeah, but it is a really shit version of shoegaze. It is totally shitgaze.' It was a joke and I put it on MySpace and then ''[[NME]]'' wrote an article and made it into a scene."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Masters|first=Marc|date=2009-09-14|title=The Decade in Noise|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/7702-the-decade-in-noise/|access-date=2025-07-22|website=Pitchfork|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dazed |date=2008-09-12 |title=Psychedelic Horseshit Write Messy Drug Songs |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/975/1/psychedelic-horseshit-write-messy-drug-songs |access-date=2026-01-17 |website=Dazed |language=en}}</ref>
===2010s=== [[File:Deafheaven @ A Colossal Weekend 2017 42.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.8|[[Deafheaven]] brought blackgaze—a fusion of [[black metal]] and shoegaze—to wider prominence with their 2013 album ''[[Sunbather (album)|Sunbather]]''.]] By 2011, a separate shoegaze revival had succeeded nu gaze. ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' called this the "shoegaze revival revival", crediting [[Whirr]], [[Weekend (American band)|Weekend]], [[No Joy]] and Young Prisms as its forefront acts,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Douglas |first1=Martin |title=Whirr: Pipe Dreams |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16387-pipe-dreams/ |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |access-date=22 January 2026}}</ref> while [[the Guardian]] credited [[DIIV]], [[Cheatahs]], [[Wild Nothing]], [[Younghusband (band)|Younghusband]], [[Echo Lake (band)|Echo Lake]], [[Teen (band)|Teen]] and [[Melody's Echo Chamber]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Iqbal |first1=Nosheen |title=Shoegaze: the genre that could not be killed |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/apr/12/shoegazing-back-in-fashion |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=22 January 2026 |date=12 April 2013}}</ref> At this time, the term "shoegaze" was applied to an increasingly broad range of artists, from direct stylistic descendants such as [[Beach House]], [[Ringo Deathstarr]], and [[Spirit of the Beehive (band)|Spirit of the Beehive]], to the blackgaze of Deafheaven.<ref name="kard22">{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=140}}</ref> Shoegaze scenes also expanded globally, with notable groups including Resplandor (Peru), Gnoomes (Russia), [[Tokyo Shoegazer]] (Japan), Flyying Colours (Australia), Echo Ladies (Sweden), and Lucid Express (Hong Kong).<ref name="kard22"/>
On their second album ''[[Visions of a Life]]'' (2017), [[Wolf Alice]] embraced the influence of shoegaze, with its single "[[Heavenward]]" being an entirely shoegaze song. The album won the 2018 [[Mercury Prize]] award, which ''[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]'' named as an example of "how viable shoegaze had become in 2017".<ref name="Ragusa, 2023" />
==== Developments in the hardcore scene ==== During the 2010s, a wave of musicians from the [[hardcore punk]] scene began to play shoegaze, including [[Nothing (band)|Nothing]], Whirr, [[Deafheaven]], [[King Woman]], [[Oathbreaker (band)|Oathbreaker]]<ref name="Nelson, 2021" /> and [[Pity Sex]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sacher |first1=Andrew |title=Grey Zine sign to The Native Sound, released a compilation of demos, planning new material (streams) |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/grey-zine-sign/ |website=[[BrooklynVegan]] |access-date=26 February 2026}}</ref> Deafheaven's 2013 album ''[[Sunbather (album)|Sunbather]]'' popularised blackgaze,<ref name="kard22" /> becoming the most critically acclaimed album of 2013 on [[Metacritic]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title = The Translator Blackgaze|url = https://exclaim.ca/Music/article/translator-blackgaze|last = Walschots|first = Natalie Zina|magazine = [[Exclaim!]]|date = February 26, 2014|access-date = April 15, 2016}}</ref>
Pity Sex merged shoegaze with elements of [[emo]], particularly its bouncy rhythms. Their debut album, ''[[Feast of Love (album)|Feast of Love]]'' (2013), was influential. In a 2023 article, Sacher stated that "''Feast of Love'' imitators continue to pop up today", calling "emogaze" a "now-crowded realm".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sacher |first1=Andrew |title=25 Classic Emo & Post-Hardcore Albums Turning 10 in 2023 |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/25-classic-emo-post-hardcore-albums-turning-10-in-2023/ |website=[[BrooklynVegan]] |access-date=26 February 2026}}</ref> Enis called their style a "Midwestern response to" shoegaze during the [[emo revival]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=A BRIEF HISTORY OF HARDCORE KIDS MAKING SHOEGAZE |url=https://noise.thehardtimes.net/2019/07/06/a-brief-history-of-hardcore-kids-making-shoegaze/ |access-date=26 February 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912062255/https://noise.thehardtimes.net/2019/07/06/a-brief-history-of-hardcore-kids-making-shoegaze/ |archive-date=12 September 2024}}</ref> This style was also practiced by [[Ovlov]]<ref>{{cite web |title=What Our Staff Is Listening to This Week |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-music/streaming-recommendations-toots-and-the-maytals-tr/?fbclid=iwar1gywcazdtwiiyubsjafvl9b-z2nyxx6mqim6mfvdbh70xx0ngfctbr8pm |website=[[Paste Magazine]] |access-date=26 February 2026}}</ref> Stove<ref name="Ragusa, 2023">{{cite web |last1=Ragusa |first1=Paolo |title=The Shoegaze Revival in 10 Songs |url=https://consequence.net/2023/11/shoegaze-revival-in-10-songs/4/ |website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]] |access-date=3 March 2026 |language=en |date=7 November 2023}}</ref> and [[Adventures (band)|Adventures]].<ref name="Enis, 2019">{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=A BRIEF HISTORY OF HARDCORE KIDS MAKING SHOEGAZE |url=https://noise.thehardtimes.net/2019/07/06/a-brief-history-of-hardcore-kids-making-shoegaze/ |access-date=26 February 2026}}</ref> Around 2019, an international online wave of musical artists began to make music under the influence of Ovlov and Pity Sex, largely made up of solo artists, including [[Weatherday]], [[Asian Glow]], [[Computerwife]] and [[Hotline TNT]].<ref name="Ragusa, 2023" />
=====Heavy shoegaze===== [[File:Nothing (14085422398).jpg|thumb|[[Nothing (band)|Nothing]] pioneered a more rhythmic, metal-inspired shoegaze sound in the 2010s]] During the early 2010s, many shoegaze bands in the hardcore scene subtracted the more experimental elements of the original shoegaze sound, favouring a more mid-tempo [[heavy metal music|metal]]-influenced rhythmic structure, simpler chords and favouring [[dynamics (music)|dynamics]].<ref name="Enis, 2022">{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=The New Wave Of American Shoegaze |url=https://stereogum.com/2209014/the-new-wave-of-american-shoegaze/columns/sounding-board |website=stereogum.com |access-date=26 February 2026 |language=en |date=22 December 2022}}</ref> These bands merged the shoegaze of Slowdive and Ride with the heavier but still atmopheric music of [[Failure (band)|Failure]], [[Smashing Pumpkins]], [[Hum (band)|Hum]], [[Quicksand (American band)|Quicksand]] and [[Deftones]].<ref name="Nelson, 2021" /> In an article for ''[[Stereogum]]'', Eli Enis also noted Hum, Swervedriver Catherine Wheel and Starflyer 59 as primary influences.<ref name="Enis, 2022" /> ''[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]'' called Hum's third album, ''[[You'd Prefer an Astronaut]]'' (1995), "the Forgotten Blueprint" for this sound.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Abby |title=Hum's You'd Prefer an Astronaut Is the Forgotten Blueprint for American Shoegaze |url=https://consequence.net/2024/01/hum-youd-prefer-an-astronaut-album-review/ |website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]] |access-date=26 February 2026 |language=en |date=30 January 2024}}</ref> The most influential in this sound was Nothing,<ref name="Enis, 2023" /> with Whirr also being a pioneer.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pearis |first1=Bill |title=Whirr, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Swervedriver & more playing Nothing's Slide Away fests |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/whirr-pains-of-being-pure-at-heart-swervedriver-more-playing-nothings-slide-away-fests/ |website=[[BrooklynVegan]] |access-date=26 February 2026}}</ref>
In a 2021 interview with ''Stereogum'', Nothing vocalist Domenic "Nicky" Palermo stated of the style "I don't really know if any of this stuff is traditional shoegaze". Palermo expressed that with the release of Nothing's debut ''[[Guilty of Everything]]'' (2014), the band "felt awkward holding onto anything, like shoegaze or whatever", and that no separate tag was being applied to it. Patrick Lyons, the article's writer, discussed the style using the broad terms "heavy shoegaze" or "post-shoegaze".<ref name="Nelson, 2021">{{cite web |last1=Nelson |first1=Michael |title=The Heavy Music To Shoegaze Pipeline |url=https://stereogum.com/2156923/nothing-deafheaven-heavy-music-to-shoegaze-pipeline/columns/sounding-board |website=[[Stereogum]] |access-date=26 February 2026 |language=en |date=11 August 2021}}</ref> ''[[Brooklyn Vegan]]'' editor Andrew Sacher called the style "punkgaze", noting Nothing, [[Cloakroom (band)|Cloakroom]], [[Greet Death]] and [[Holy Fawn]] as forefront acts.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sacher |first1=Andrew |title=30 essential songs from the shoegaze / heavy crossover |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/28-essential-songs-from-the-shoegaze-heavy-crossover/ |website=[[BrooklynVegan]] |access-date=26 February 2026}}</ref> ''[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]]'' editor Eli Enis called Greet Death the "leaders of the current wave of heavy shoegaze that came in the wake of Nothing and Cloakroom", calling their second album ''New Hell'' (2019) "a modern landmark for the genre". Enis also noted Holy Fawn's ''Death Spells'' (2018) as embracing elements of blackgaze.<ref name="Enis, 2023">{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=11 great shoegaze albums for metalheads |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/11-great-shoegaze-albums-metalheads/ |website=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]] |access-date=26 February 2026}}</ref>
=====Grungegaze===== {{main|Grungegaze}}
In 2013, albums began to be released that merged the [[emo revival]] spinoff genre [[soft grunge (music)|soft grunge]] with shoegaze. These included [[Narrow Head]]'s ''Demonstration MMXIII'' (27 May 2013), Cloakroom's ''Infinity'' (16 June 2013) and Nevermind Me's ''Nevermind Me'' (9 September 2013). The following year, Leatherneck and Simmer established a grungegaze in [[Cheshire]], England. Soft grunge pioneers, [[Title Fight]]'s, third album, ''[[Hyperview (album)|Hyperview]]'' (2015), pushed their sound more atmosopheric, in a way that bordered on shoegaze.<ref name="Stewart, 2026" /> In a 2025 retrospective article, former ''[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]]'' editor Eli Enis stated "''Hyperview'' was dubbed a shoegaze record mostly by people who didn't know what shoegaze was beyond Nothing, Whirr, Pity Sex, and Deafheaven... but had such a marked influence on a genre it doesn't even belong to".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=Title Fight's 'Hyperview' is 2015's most important overrated album |url=https://www.elienis.com/title-fight-hyperview-overrated-important-anniversary/ |website=Chasing Sundays |access-date=6 March 2026 |language=en |date=5 February 2025}}</ref> The success of Deafheaven, Nothing and Title Fight legitimised shoegaze in the hardcore scene, causing it to become a trend.<ref name="Nelson, 2021" /><ref name="Stewart, 2026">{{cite web |last1=Stewart |first1=Ethan |title=Why Grungegaze Dominates 2026's Music Underground » PopMatters |url=https://www.popmatters.com/why-grungegaze-dominates-2026 |website=[[PopMatters]] |access-date=13 March 2026 |date=10 March 2026}}</ref> Nothing pivoted into the genre on their 2014 [[split album]] ''[[Whirr / Nothing]]'', continued on their second album, ''[[Tired of Tomorrow]]'' (2016), with the tracks "Vertigo Flowers" and "Curse of the Sun".<ref>{{cite web |title=Nothing - 'Tired Of Tomorrow' Review |url=https://www.getalternative.com/2016510nothing-tired-of-tomorrow-review/ |website=The Alternative |access-date=14 March 2026 |language=en |date=10 May 2016}}</ref> Narrow Head's debut album, ''Satisfaction'' (2016), was particularly influential, and around 2018, an international wave of grungegaze spread, including [[Modern Color]], [[Teenage Wrist]] and [[Oversize (band)|Oversize]].<ref name="Stewart, 2026" />
=====Philly shit===== In Nothing's home of Philadelphia, many bands began to crosspollinate their influence with local indie rock groups [[The Spirit of the Beehive (band)|the Spirit of the Beehive]], Blue Smiley and especially the experimental style [[Alex G]]. Enis called the city "The world capital for this new wave [of shoegaze]", using the name the "Philly shit" scene, listing its forefront bands as [[They Are Gutting a Body of Water]] (TAGABOW), Full Body 2, A Country Western and [[Knifeplay (band)|Knifeplay]]. Bands in the scene pushed the heavy shoegaze sound into a more experimental direction, incorporating digitized synths and elements of electronic genres such as [[drum and bass]] and [[breakcore]].<ref name="Enis, 2022" /> In a 2023 interview, TAGABOW vocalist Douglas Dulgarian stated "You know, Alex G set the tone with pitch-shifting his voice and now he’s on the auto-tune wave. There are things here that aren’t happening elsewhere".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Galil |first1=Leor |title=They Are Gutting a Body of Water make a case for wackier shoegaze |url=https://chicagoreader.com/music/they-are-gutting-a-body-of-water-shoegaze/ |website=[[Chicago Reader]] |access-date=3 March 2026 |date=20 March 2023}}</ref> Dulgarian also noted in a 2023 interview with ''[[Pittsburgh City Paper]]'' discussed how a core part of the Philly shit scene is [[irony]], using the scene's love of [[Smash Mouth]] as an example.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Monroy |first1=Matthew |title=They Are Gutting a Body of Water on shoegaze, moshing, and playing shows at Sonic |url=https://www.pghcitypaper.com/arts-entertainment-2/they-are-gutting-a-body-of-water-on-shoegaze-moshing-and-playing-shows-at-sonic-23210741/ |website=[[Pittsburgh City Paper]] |access-date=3 March 2026 |date=23 January 2023}}</ref> By 2025, ''[[The Fader]]'' writer Cady Siregar said of the Philadelphia scene "for a while [sic] that whole heavy shoegaze thing... got beat down everybody's throat".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Siregar |first1=Cady |title=Nothing's Domenic Palermo made the shoegaze festival for real heads |url=https://www.thefader.com/2025/04/29/slide-away-festival-nothing-domenic-palermo-interview |website=[[The Fader]] |access-date=26 February 2026 |language=en}}</ref>
===2020s=== {{see also|Nu-gaze (2020s)}} In early 2020, [[Spotify]] heavily pushed shoegaze and adjacent styles to the platform's listenership. This particularly effected grungegaze artists, when [[Fleshwater]] became the genre's breakout act.<ref name="Stewart, 2026" /> In 2025, ''[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]'' credited the Narrow Head, [[Glare (band)|Glare]], Fleshwater, Leaving Time, Soul Blind and Trauma Ray as the "canon" of 2020s grungegaze, also calling Oversize, [[Split Chain]] and [[Bleed (band)|Bleed]] prominent acts<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Interviews |first=Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & |last2=ClashMusic |date=2025-07-28 |title=Stuck In A Loop: The Rise Of 'Grungegaze' {{!}} Features |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/stuck-in-a-loop-the-rise-of-grungegaze/ |access-date=2026-02-06 |website=Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Broscheid |first=James |title=Glimmer: Defining the New Grungegaze Synthesis |url=https://bigtakeover.com/interviews/glimmer-defining-the-new-grungegaze-synthesis |access-date=2026-02-06 |website=The Big Takeover |language=en}}</ref> Bleed's fusion of grungegaze and [[nu metal]] pioneered the [[nu-gaze (2020s)|nu-gaze]] fusion genre, which Narrow Head also pursued on their third album, ''[[Moments of Clarity (album)|Moments of Clarity]]''. Nu-gaze became a forefront style in grungegaze in 2025, a year that saw Fleshwater, Split Chain and Bleed release nu metal-influenced albums.<ref name="Stewart, 2026" /> In December 2025, ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' published its list of "the 100 Best Songs of 2025", stating that [[Turnstile (band)|Turnstile]]'s opening title track from their 2025 album [[Never Enough (Turnstile album)|''Never Enough'']] "erupts into a triumphant grungegaze anthem that you can easily imagine usurping the [[Foo Fighters]]' 'My Hero' as the soundtrack of choice for [[NFL]] playoffs bumper montages."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pitchfork |date=2025-12-01 |title=The 100 Best Songs of 2025 |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/best-songs-2025/ |access-date=2026-02-06 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>
Also during the early 2020s, Ireland experienced a resurgence of shoegaze, including [[NewDad]] and [[Just Mustard]]. NewDad vocalist Julie Dawson credited Justard Mustard with establishing the wave, stating in a 2023 article with ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' that "In terms of Irish bands, a lot stemmed from Just Mustard too. They were bringing back shoegaze in such a fucking cool way and were a very big inspiration to us at the start."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reilly |first1=Nick |title=Meet NewDad, the Irish shoegazers who want to be a generation-defining band |url=https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/meet-newdad-the-irish-shoegazers-who-want-to-be-a-generation-defining-band-34052/ |website=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=4 March 2026 |date=7 November 2023}}</ref>
==== Zoomergaze: TikTok and Gen Z resurgence ==== {{Main|Zoomergaze}}
[[File:Wisp-1 cropped.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Wisp (musician)|Wisp]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Galiher |first=Stephen Andrew |date=2026-02-27 |title=4 Artists to Introduce You to Zoomergaze, Shoegaze's Alternative Little Sibling |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/4-artists-to-introduce-you-to-zoomergaze-shoegazes-alternative-little-sibling/ |access-date=2026-03-04 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref> the most commercially successful artist amongst [[zoomergaze]], a wave of [[generation Z]] musicians merging shoegaze with [[digicore]] and [[hyperpop]]]] By the early 2020s, writer Ryan Pinkard stated, "[[TikTok]] has done for [[Generation Z|Gen Z]] what MySpace did for [[millennials]] in the early 2000s".<ref>{{harvnb|Pinkard|2024|p=143}}</ref> ''[[Stereogum]]'' credited the platform with making shoegaze "bigger than ever," while publications such as ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]'' noted that many teenagers were using shoegaze to soundtrack their "bleak, post-[[COVID-19 pandemic|COVID]] world."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Toner |first=Paul |date=2021-04-27 |title=Gen Z Are Resurrecting Shoegaze for Their 'Bleak, Post-COVID World' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/gen-z-shoegaze-comeback/ |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=Vice |archive-date=31 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250531023555/https://www.vice.com/en/article/gen-z-shoegaze-comeback/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Enis |first=Eli |date=2023-12-18 |title=TikTok Has Made Shoegaze Bigger Than Ever |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2245469/tiktok-has-made-shoegaze-bigger-than-ever/columns/sounding-board/ |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=Stereogum |archive-date=18 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218203837/https://www.stereogum.com/2245469/tiktok-has-made-shoegaze-bigger-than-ever/columns/sounding-board/}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Press-Reynolds |first=Kieran |date=2025-07-09 |title=The Dreamy Malaise of Post-Pandemic Alt-Rock |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/the-dreamy-malaise-of-post-pandemic-alt-rock/ |access-date=2026-03-04 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> By late 2023, ''[[Pitchfork (magazine)|Pitchfork]]'' described the year as when "The Shoegaze Revival Hit Its Stride," with the TikTok hashtag #slowdive reaching 235 million views.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherburne |first=Philip |date=2023-12-14 |title=The Shoegaze Revival Hit Its Stride in 2023 |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-shoegaze-revival-hit-its-stride-in-2023/ |access-date=2024-03-24 |website=Pitchfork |archive-date=14 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214195722/https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-shoegaze-revival-hit-its-stride-in-2023/}}</ref>
In the early 2020s, a wave of practitioners of the electronic genres [[hyperpop]] and [[digicore]] began to experiment with rock elements. One major strain of this was artists who incorporated elements of shoegaze.<ref name="Feigelson">{{cite web |last1=Feigelson |first1=David |title=The Emergence of Hyper-Rock |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/scene-report/the-emergence-of-hyper-rock |website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |access-date=12 February 2026}}</ref> As early as 2018, Strawberry Hospital's ''Grave Chimera'' (2018) was merging elements of shoegaze into hyperpop.<ref name="Feigelson" /> In 2021, ''[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]'' writer, Giedre Matulaityte credited the album, as "reimagining everything you know about shoegaze". Matulaityte also noted Fax Gang's ''Aethernet'' (2021) as merging elements of shoegaze with hyperpop and [[HexD]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Matulaityte |first1=Giedre |title=10 bands who are reimagining everything you know about shoegaze |url=https://www.altpress.com/best-new-shoegaze-bands-blackgaze-emo-rap-trap/ |website=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]] |access-date=3 March 2026}}</ref> [[Jane Remover]] experimented with a similar fusion on ''[[Frailty (Jane Remover album)|Frailty]]'' (2021), with [[Quannnic]] following with ''Kenopsia'' (2022). Both leaned further into their shoegaze influence on their subsequent albums ''[[Census Designated]]'' (2023) and ''Stepdream'' (2023).<ref name="Feigelson" />
In an article for ''WhyNow'', writer Harvey Solomon-Brady called this fusion [[zoomergaze]].<ref name="Solomon-Brady, 2024">{{cite web |last1=Solomon-Brady |first1=Harvey |title=From Shoegaze to Zoomer Gaze: the evolution of a Gen Z musical phenomenon whynow |url=https://whynow.co.uk/read/from-shoegaze-to-zoomer-gaze-the-evolution-of-a-gen-z-musical-phenomenon |website=whynow |access-date=3 March 2026 |date=4 January 2024}}</ref> These musicians incorporated elements of digicore with shoegaze's atmospheric textures and grunge's energy.<ref name="Solomon-Brady, 2024" /> In particular, merging shoegaze instrumental elements alongside electronic elements including vocals that are effected by pitch shifting, [[autotune]] and formant editing, as well as [[Glitch (music)|glitch]]es and entirely electronic segments.<ref name="Feigelson" /> Some arts emphasize elements of [[electronic dance music]] such as [[Drop (music)|drop]]s,<ref name="Enis, 2023b" /> while others subverted physical guitars entirely, dealing only in [[MIDI]] and sampled instruments.<ref name="Enis, 2023b" /> Enis noted that "it’s not a genre", instead calling it a "trend" and "generational spirit", in which artists are "drifting in and out of shoegaze... retaining the sonic elasticity of the genre they came from".<ref name="Enis, 2025">{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=Shoegaze and Digicore Have Fully Collided |url=https://www.ninaprotocol.com/posts/shoegaze-and-digicore-have-fully-collided |website=[[Nina Protocol]] |access-date=3 March 2026}}</ref>
By the end of 2023, zoomergaze artists Flyingfish and [[Wisp (musician)|Wisp]] had garnered viral followings on TikTok.<ref name="Enis, 2023b">{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=TikTok Has Made Shoegaze Bigger Than Ever |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2245469/tiktok-has-made-shoegaze-bigger-than-ever/columns/sounding-board/ |website=[[Stereogum]] |access-date=3 March 2026 |language=en |date=18 December 2023}}</ref> In 2025, ''[[Dork (magazine)|Dork]]'' noted that Wisp was labelled as "the face of 'zoomergaze{{'"}} and described her as a leading artist in Gen Z's shoegaze revival.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Firth |first=Abigail |title=Hype List 2025: Wisp is reinvigorating shoegaze for a new generation |website=Dork |url=https://readdork.com/features/hype-list-2025-wisp-interview/ |date=16 January 2025 |access-date=3 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126135720/https://readdork.com/features/hype-list-2025-wisp-interview/ |archive-date=26 January 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|1990s}} * [[Beautiful Noise (film)|''Beautiful Noise'' (film)]] * [[List of shoegaze bands]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book |last=Pinkard |first=Ryan |title=Shoegaze |series=Genre: A 33 1/3 |date=2024-10-03 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=979-8-7651-0343-2}} * {{cite book |last=Provis |first=Victor |title=Shoegaze: My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Ride Etc. |isbn=9782360545285 |publisher=Le mot et le reste |date=2018-04-19 |language=fr |edition=EPUB}} * {{cite book |last=Joynson |first=Vernon |title=Discover UK Shoegaze and Dream Pop: A Music Guide to Shoegaze and Dream Pop with Artist Discographies and Biographical Information |publisher=Borderline Productions |year=2023 |isbn=978-1899855254 |asin=B0CKTB3MF7}}
==External links== {{wikiquote}} * {{Commons category-inline|Shoegazing}} {{Shoegaze}}{{Alternative rock}} {{Psychedelic music}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Shoegaze| ]] [[Category:1990s neologisms]] [[Category:Rock music genres]] [[Category:British styles of music]] [[Category:Neo-psychedelia]]