Nu gaze

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A sample of Silversun Pickups's song "Panic Switch", from their 2009 album Swoon . The song features distorted guitars, walls of sound, and modern synthesizers.

Nu gaze or nu-gaze is a subgenre of alternative rock music that originated in the early to mid-2000s. It's style is derived from the shoegaze genre of the late 1980s and early 1990s. [1] A renewed interest in shoegaze occurred in the early 2000s when bands such as, Maps, My Vitriol, Silversun Pickups, and The Radio Dept. gained popularity. The term "nu gaze" or "nu-gaze" was first notably stated in a 2001 interview by Som Wardner of My Vitriol, when asked to describe the band's musical style. [2]

According to an article in The Oxford Student , music from the genre features "droning riffs, subdued vocals and walls of distorted, messy guitar or synth". [3]

The nu gaze revival draws inspiration heavily from shoegaze but incorporates more modern synthesizers and drum tracks. Starting in the early to mid-2010s, bands such as Whirr, Nothing, Glare, and Wisp have paved way for the subgenre's popularity with their blend of shoegaze with nu metal, grunge, post-punk and noise rock influences. [4] [5] [6]

References

  1. ↑ Rogers, Jude (27 July 2007). "Diamond gazers". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  2. ↑ "Paint It Back // My Vitriol ~ Finelines - GoldFlakePaint". Goldflakepaint.co.uk. 5 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  3. ↑ Travers, Katherine (6 October 2010). "Hidden Treasures: Nu-Gaze". The Oxford Student. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  4. ↑ "'If Not Winter' by Wisp Review: A 'Nu-Gaze' on a Familiar Genre", The Wall Street Journal , 29 July 2025, retrieved 14 September 2025
  5. ↑ "Nu Gaze or: How Gen Z Discovered Shoegaze", The Toilet Ov Hell, 6 August 2025, retrieved 14 September 2025
  6. ↑ "'Nu-gaze' rocker went viral before her band even had a name", The Washington Post , 13 August 2025, retrieved 14 September 2025


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