Shoegaze Pop
tagStarted 1988Peak 1990-1995Last big hit 2017
Located in 2 routes
Pop melody buried under a wall of effects-soaked guitar: layered distortion, tremolo, glide-bending and infinite reverb form a luminous roar over which androgynous, half-whispered vocals float indistinctly. Sweet tunes hide inside the noise. The effect is dense, narcotic and overwhelming, drowning the listener in shimmering, blissed-out feedback.
History
Shoegaze formed in late-1980s England across London and the Thames Valley, named for performers staring at effects pedals onstage. My Bloody Valentine's Loveless (1991), plus Ride, Slowdive, Lush and Chapterhouse on Creation and 4AD, defined it. After a 1990s lull a 2010s revival, led by reunited Slowdive, returned it to prominence.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoegaze
- https://gazette.gibson.com/history/shoegaze-the-dreamlike-guitar-driven-genre-defined-by-my-bloody-valentine-and-ride/
- https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/the-history-of-shoegaze/