Shoegaze is a subgenre of indie-rock that emerged in the early 1980s. It stood out from big arena rock by obscuring vocals under waves of warm distortion, limitless guitar textures and layers of noise. The genre was naturally for the introverted, since shoegazers spent more time looking at their feet and pedals than engaging with their audience. Despite its seemingly detached nature, the scene and its DIY artists fostered a closely knit crew whose works continue to inspire each other to this day, giving rise to a Gen-Z audience who have revived the genre on platforms such as TikTok.
In the early 2000s, shoegaze resurged via Sofia Coppola’s 2003 film Lost in Translation. The soundtrack, curated by Kevin Shields, featured giants of shoegaze, dreampop and electronic ambient like Air, Jesus and The Mary Chain, Roxy Music and my bloody valentine. The highly aestheticised soundscape resonated with Y2K film fans, contributing to the renewed popularity of shoegaze. The greatest bands of shoegaze had a long-term effect on today’s musical landscape, inspiring a new generation of shoegaze artists like bdrmm, Hotline TNT and Whitelands, who are ready to take on the mantle.
Shoegaze’s key innovators and pioneers are still playing a role in its revival. Boston-based shoegaze band Drop Nineteens broke their thirty-year hiatus with new music in 2023, while Slowdive released their first album in six years. Ride has also returned with new music in 2024 along with other shoegaze luminaries, contributing to the revival of the genre.
Shoegaze owes its enduring success to bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, who released Psychocandy in 1985, setting the groundwork for the genre. Another crucial band was Cocteau Twins, whose textures and sonic swirls influenced the development of shoegaze and dreampop bands in the 90s. Ride’s Nowhere from 1990 typifies the movement’s sound, and my bloody valentine’s Loveless from 1991 became the quintessential shoegaze album. Slint’s Spiderland from the same year bridged the gap between post-rock and shoegaze, shaping the genre.
Our Rough Trade Essentials range celebrates shoegaze’s success by pulling from proto-shoegaze to the genre’s most defining albums. Despite shoegaze’s fashionably unsociable air, the close-knit
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