Shoegaze is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volume. It emerged in Ireland and the United Kingdom in the late 1980s among neo-psychedelic groups who usually stood motionless during live performances in a detached, non-confrontational state. The name comes from the heavy use of effects pedals, as the performers were often looking down at their pedals during concerts.
Swirlies is an American indie rock band formed in Boston in 1990. Since their first records in the early 1990s, the band has released studio and home recordings that blend shoegaze and twee pop with electronica and lo-fi music.
Ethereal wave, also called ethereal darkwave, ethereal goth or simply ethereal, is a subgenre of dark wave music that is variously described as "gothic", "romantic", and "otherworldly". Developed in the early 1980s in the UK as an outgrowth of gothic rock, ethereal wave was mainly represented by 4AD bands such as Cocteau Twins, This Mortal Coil, and early guitar-driven Dead Can Dance.
Alcest is a French post-black metal band from Bagnols-sur-Cèze, founded and led by Neige. It began in 2000 as a black metal solo project by Neige, then became a trio, but members Aegnor and Argoth left the band following the 2001 release of their first demo, leaving Neige as the sole member. Neige began incorporating elements of shoegaze and post-metal into the project's sound from 2005 onwards and is largely credited with pioneering the fusion genre known as blackgaze. In 2009, drummer Winterhalter from Les Discrets joined Alcest, after eight years with Neige as its sole full-time member.
Deafheaven is an American post-metal band formed in 2010. Originally based in San Francisco, the group began as a two-piece with singer George Clarke and guitarist Kerry McCoy, who recorded and self-released a demo album together. Following its release, Deafheaven recruited three new members and began to tour. Before the end of 2010, the band signed to Deathwish Inc. and later released their debut album Roads to Judah, in April 2011. They popularized a unique style blending black metal, shoegaze, and post-rock, among other influences, later called "blackgaze" by reviewers.
Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter is an American singer and actress. She made her acting debut with an appearance in the television crime show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2011) and had a recurring role on Fox's The Goodwin Games (2011). She gained recognition for her leading roles in the Disney Channel comedy series Girl Meets World (2014–2017) and the Disney Channel Original Movie Adventures in Babysitting (2016). She has since starred in several feature films, including Horns (2013), The Hate U Give (2018), The Short History of the Long Road (2019), Clouds (2020), and Emergency (2022). She also starred in Netflix films, Tall Girl (2019), its sequel (2022), and Work It (2020), the latter of which she also executive produced.
Whirr is a shoegaze band from Modesto, California. The group formed in 2010, originally as Whirl, but had to legally change its name after a woman performing acoustic covers of Black Sabbath songs trademarked the name and threatened a lawsuit. Whirr's shoegaze sound is often compared to My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. Founding guitarist Nick Bassett also played in the band Deafheaven surrounding and including the release of their 2011 album Roads to Judah.
Nothing is an American shoegaze band that formed in 2010. The band self-released several EPs before signing to Relapse Records. They released their debut studio album, Guilty of Everything, in 2014. The follow-up album, Tired of Tomorrow, was released on in 2016. Nothing's third studio album, Dance on the Blacktop, was released in 2018, and their fourth studio album, The Great Dismal, was released in 2020.
Guilty of Everything is the debut studio album by the American shoegaze band Nothing, released on March 4, 2014 by Relapse Records. It is the only album to feature Chris Betts on bass and the first to feature Kyle Kimball on drums.
Full of Hell is an American grindcore band from Ocean City, Maryland, and Central Pennsylvania, that formed in 2009. They are currently signed to Relapse Records and have released five studio albums – Roots of Earth Are Consuming My Home (2011), Rudiments of Mutilation (2013), Trumpeting Ecstasy (2017), Weeping Choir (2019), and Garden of Burning Apparitions (2021) – as well as several EPs and splits. In addition to studio albums, they've released five collaboration albums – Full of Hell & Merzbow (2014) with Japanese noise artist Merzbow, One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache (2016) and Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light (2017) with sludge metal band the Body, Suffocating Hallucination with doom metal band Primitive Man in March 2023 and When No Birds Sang with shoegaze band Nothing in December 2023.
Sway is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Whirr, released on September 23, 2014 by Graveface Records. The album marked the departure of previous lead singer Alexandra Morte, as well as the first release with Devin Nunes who replaced Sergio Miranda on drums. It was produced by Jack Shirley.
Tired of Tomorrow is the second studio album by American shoegaze band Nothing. It was released on May 13, 2016, by Relapse Records. It is the first Nothing album to feature bassist Nick Bassett, the guitarist of Whirr.
They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of the Salons is the second full-length album by Boston indie rock band Swirlies. Released in April 1996, three years after their previous LP, this was the group's first major recording effort after a change in half of Swirlies' lineup. Working again with engineer and co-producer Rich Costey, the band developed a wider scope of sound than the shoegaze and lo-fi pop which characterized their earlier releases, as Salons makes heavier use of synthesizers, dance beats, and other electronic sounds, drawing comparisons to groups like Stereolab and their Krautrock forebears. In 2014 music writer Andrew Earles placed the record on his list of 500 essential American underground rock albums.
Nick Bassett is an American musician, producer and composer from Modesto, California. He was the bassist of shoegaze band Nothing and is the lead guitarist of shoegaze band Whirr. He also played guitar in the original lineup of blackgaze band Deafheaven.
Strictly East Coast Sneaky Flute Music is the third full-length album by Boston indie rock band Swirlies. The album comprises remixes of songs from their previous album, They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of the Salons, along with soundbites and forays into experimental music. Taang! Records released Strictly East Coast Sneaky Flute Music in 1998 on CD, and also re-packaged most of it as the first disc of a double LP. with the bulk of Salons as the second.
Kristina Esfandiari is an American singer-songwriter and producer who writes music and performs under the monikers Dalmatian, Miserable, and NGHTCRWLR, and with the bands King Woman and Sugar High.
Basement Revolver is an indie rock band from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Formed in 2016 by guitarist and vocalist Chrisy Hurn, bassist Nimal Agalawatte and former drummer Brandon Munro, the band has released two EPs and four singles, with their first album, Heavy Eyes, being released in 2019. While the band largely plays in Southern Ontario, they have toured the UK and have played in the Midwest USA and New York. Known for their alternative dream pop style of music, Basement Revolver has enjoyed success on both sides of the Atlantic, and signed onto British indie record label fear of missing out in 2016.
Heavy Eyes is the debut studio album from Canadian indie rock band Basement Revolver. It was released in the UK by fear of missing out records and in Canada by Sonic Unyon. The album combines hardcore indie rock with dream pop influences, and has been described by vocalist and songwriter Chrisy Hurn as a "bit of a deep dive into myself".
The Great Dismal is the fourth studio album by American shoegaze band Nothing. It is the only album to feature bassist Aaron Heard, the first to feature Doyle Martin on guitar and backing vocals, and the last with drummer Kyle Kimball. The album was released on October 30, 2020, by Relapse Records.
