Shoegaze
tagStarted 1988Peak 1990-1994Last big hit still active
Located in 2 routes
The blueprint: massed, detuned guitars drowned in reverb and pitch-bent tremolo, distortion glazed until it shimmers rather than bites. Whispered, androgynous vocals float beneath the roar as pure texture. Built on relentless pedal stacks and the 'glide guitar' bend, it trades riffs and choruses for enveloping, narcotic waves of tone.
History
Born in late-1980s England around Thames Valley and Creation Records acts. My Bloody Valentine's 1991 'Loveless' set the standard; Ride, Slowdive, Lush, Chapterhouse and Swervedriver filled out the scene. The melodic-papers branded it pejoratively, and Britpop buried it by 1994, but landmark reunions from MBV and Slowdive (2013-2017) cemented its canon.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoegaze
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/shoegaze-ma0000004453
- https://pitchfork.com/features/article/the-50-best-shoegaze-albums/