A New Wave of Shoegaze is Bubbling Under the Surface and We Need To Talk About It
They say that every 30 years pop culture trends reappear, a theory rooted in nostalgia. Inspired by 80s coming-of-age films, it wasn’t long ago that Stranger Things emerged as one of the standout TV shows of the 2010s for example.
In alternative music, the biggest names borrow elements from the 80s in equal measure: The 1975 resemble Prince and Bowie, Sam Fender does his best Geordie Springsteen impression, and The Last Dinner Party are heavily inspired by Kate Bush to name a few.
As we move into the mid 2020s, allusions to the 90s are ubiquitous in music culture. We still see the Gallagher brothers and Pulp headlining British festivals, Blur finally played Wembley, and The Cranberries’ ‘Zombie’ and ‘Linger’ have transformed into multi-generational hits.
Another less spoken about trend is shoegaze’s resurgence in popularity led by remixes of genre-defining royalty Slowdive’s track ‘When the Sun Hits’ becoming a TikTok fad as seen below.
Particularly during sombre, emotional moments, it turns out the once deliberately uncool shoegaze is attracting Gen Z listeners alongside retaining old fans. Absorbed in danger scrolling on social media, today’s youth find solace in introspective themes and a delicate yet brooding sonic style found in old-school shoegaze of Lush, My Bloody Valentine, The Cocteau Twins and Ride.
This growing interest is concurrent with an emergence of upcoming artists that add a modern twist to the genre, forming a bourgeoning movement in the alternative music sphere which isn’t spoken about enough.
South London’s Bleach Lab and Galway’s NewDad are two bands leading the charge in this revival having both released promising debut albums in the past year and finding their names on various UK festival line-ups this summer, including NewDad’s impressive Glastonbury set.
Elsewhere in the scene, Ireland’s Just Mustard, South London’s Dry Cleaning, and Hull’s bdrmm are all set to release their third albums in the next year or so to follow up on their critically acclaimed efforts that amalgamate shoegaze with contemporary postpunk.
These figureheads will soon be joined by bands stretching the limits of what it means to be shoegaze. London and surrounding areas has been fertile ground for such experimentation, with the likes of Bar Italia, Drug Store Ramones and Sorry fusing electro-pop with a shoegaze edge.
This is not a trend observed exclusively in Britain and Ireland. Carrying the torch in America are rising stars Hotline TNT and feeble little horse who had breakout years in 2023 with their sophomore LPs. Accompanying them are the established DIIV, up-and-comers Glixen and trauma ray, and the accomplished Horsegirl whose 2022 debut ‘Versions of Modern Performance’ impressed with fuzzy pop guitars and a sprinkling of anthemic alt-rock. Melbourne’s GRAZER also prove that the shoegaze revival has reached down under with their haunting and underrated 2022 debut ‘Melancholics Anonymous.’
Perhaps just as significant as the shoegaze revival itself is that artists from outside the genre are dabbling with its sensibilities. Akin to all iconic shoegaze albums, King Krule’s ‘Space Heavy’ finds the sweet-spot between heavy and emotional; MGMT’s underrated 2024 effort ‘Loss of Life’ sounds as if it has been inspired by ‘Soulvaki’s’ recent popularity; whilst Alvvays and The Japanese Breakfast continue to create dream pop records with a shoegaze underbelly to name a selection.
But in spite of a proliferation of rising stars in the genre, there is something comforting in the knowledge that shoegaze rarely pierces the mainstream. By definition, shoegaze wants to remain independent, hidden and separate from the top of the charts. Yes there may be the occasional TikTok trend but this can be rendered as an anomaly. So whilst there are a range of shoegaze inspired bands bubbling under the surface, they won’t ever cause a huge swell or knockout wave. Instead they are content just merely rocking the boats, always a delight to observe bobbing on the water yet never causing measurable damage.
