Category: Shoegaze

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: We Melt Chocolate Shares Trippy Visual for Dreamy “Holy Ramen”

Florence-based shoegazers We Melt Chocolate can trace their origins back to the fusion of two different bands evanicetrip and Shades of Blue back in 2012. Since then, the Italian band over a handful of releases that includes a self-released demo, and an EP and their full-length debut through Annibale Records has firmly cemented a sound and approach that equally draws from the noisier side of shoegaze — i.e.,  My Bloody Valentine, Lush, and even The Sugarcubes. 

The band has opened for a number of internationally renowned bands including The Shivas, Holy Wave, The Asteroid No. 4, The Underground Youth, His Clancyness, Magic Shoppe, Your 33 Black Angels and GIFT among a growing list of others. 

Holy Gaze, the Florence-based outfit’s highly anticipated and long awaited sophomore album was released earlier this year through Miracle Waves and features guest spots from Francesco D’Elia, Rev Rev Rev‘s Sebastian Lugli and Sensitive Club‘s Ben Moro. 

Earlier this year, I wrote about album single “No Meaning Man,” a song that alternates between dreamy and stormy passages built around a relentless motorik groove, layers of distorted and fuzzy guitar textures, shimmering synths, thunderous drumming paired with reverb-soaked vocals buried within the oceanic mix. Thematically, the song speaks of disillusionment with superficial people, who base their entire lives on appearances and conceal their vapidity and lack of empathy towards others. 

“Holy Ramen,” Holy Gaze‘s latest single showcases the Italian outfit at their dreamiest to date — with the song featuring swirling Slowdive and A Storm in Heaven-like guitar textures paired with a driving rhythm section and yearning, ethereal vocals. 

The band explains that “Holy Ramen” is an exhortation to overcome daily difficulties, look at the sky and allow yourself a special, sacred moment just for you. “For us (particularly for the singer), one of these moments is indulging in a good hot ramen.” The band goes on to say that for them, “it is the simplest moments that become sacred.”

The accompanying video fittingly seems inspired by 120 Minutes-era MTV and feature some lushly shot visuals of a bowl of ramen being prepared and then serving as a mind-bending backdrop for the band — both while performing and even enjoying a comforting meal of the stuff, often while the sky races behind them.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Dallas’ Static Ivory Shares Bruising “Open-eyed”

Static Ivory is an emerging and somewhat mysterious Dallas-based grunge/shoegaze duo, who released their debut single “Comedown” earlier this year. Clocking in at a little over two minutes, their sophomore single “Open-eyed” is an explosive and punishing, Nothing-like take on shoegaze featuring a glitchy introduction, thunderous drumming, fuzzy and distorted power chords, and a dreamy painterly bridge paired with mosh pit friendly hooks. Play loud, trip out and open up that fucking pit, y’all!

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Toronto’s SWiiMS Shares Dreamy and Optimistic “In Puzzles”

Toronto-based indie outfit SWiiMS — founding duo Mai Diaz Langou (vocals)and Colin Thompson (guitar) along with Cian O’Ruanaidh (bass) — can trace their origins back to 2018 when the band’s founding duo began writing songs together that blended Thompson’s fuzzy and jangling guitar swirl with Diaz Langou’s textured melodies and languid vocal. When O’Ruanaidh joined the band, he brought a unique blend of influences and hooky bass lines. 

Sonically, the Canadian trio draw from a diverse spectrum of artists and elements including 80s New Wave, 90s Shoegaze, indie rock, Brit Pop and Dream Pop to create a sound that’s uniquely theirs. 

SWiiMS’ debut EP, 2019’s Through Waves was released to critical praise and landed on the North American College and Community College (NACC) charts. Building upon a growing profile, the trio’s full-length debut, Into The Blue Night officially dropped today.

Last month, I wrote about “All I Die For” saw the Canadian indie outfit firmly cementing their sound with fuzzy and swirling guitar textures paired with glistening synth arpeggios, a propulsive rhythm section and languid vocal melodies. The result is a song that manages to be simultaneously dreamy, uplifting and moody while channeling 120 Minutes-era MTV alt rock.

Into The Blue Night‘s latest single, album opening track “In Puzzles” is a breezy, uplifting song built around swirling shoegazer textures and a propulsive rhythm section paired with Diaz Langou’s languid and ethereal vocal. Continuing a run of decidedly 120 Minutes-era MTV alt rock-like indie and early shoegaze-inspired material, “In Puzzles” manages to evoke the swooning sense of excitement and optimism in a blossoming romance.

The accompanying video for “In Puzzles” is set in a dreamy, mind-bending Memento-like world in which we see the band’s Diaz Langou bearing gifts of roses and balloons — both going forward and in reverse down a suburban street.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Portland, Maine’s Crystal Canyon Shares Slow-Burning and Shimmering “Sierra”

Founded by Detroit-born Lynda Mandolyn (vocals, guitar), who spent her formative years fronting the all-female punk outfit Inside Out; and The Baltic Sea’s Todd Hutchinsen (guitar, engineering) back in 2015, Portland, ME-based shoegazers Crystal Canyon were formed with a simple mission: to call upon the spirit and vibe of the tradition of late 80s and 90s shoegaze without rehashing the formulaic gestures or strictures of the genre. The band also features a collection of Northeast indie scene veterans, including Hutchisen’s The Baltic Sea bandmate Jeremy Smith (bass).

The Portland shoegazer’s third album, the recently released nine-song, Stars and Distant Light was recorded at Hutchisen’s Acadia Recording Company studio — and features the band’s newest member, multi-instrumentalist Nate Manning, who primarily contributes drums, along with guitar and other instrumental work throughout the album’s material. The album’s more explosive moments, as the band explains is a direct result of the fresh perspective to their sound that he brought to the sessions.

Sonically, Stars and Distant Light sees the band being true to the classic shoegazer stereotype of being obsessive about their gear, with the album featuring sounds that could only be produced following the trial and error of dozens of guitar tracked meticulously onto analog tape. Overall, the album sees the band’s members taking all of their combined professional experiences to craft material that fuses their previous experiences and influences in a way that sounds unlike anything any individual member has done before. “We formed a band that sounded like the music we listened to,” says Mandolyn. “In the process, we’ve become a band we’d want others to hear.”

The band’s Hutchisen explains, “We started out demoing about sixteen or seventeen songs then finally narrowed down the songs to the nine that are on the record,” while citing the inclusion of more synth and keyboards being not just one point of departure from their previous releases, but a refinement of their established commitment to lush soundscapes.

Stars and Distant Light‘s latest single “Sierra” is a slow-burning, Souvlaki-era Slowdive-meets-Twin Peaks-like bit of dream pop built around shimmering and swirling guitar textures, thunderous drumming paired with Mandolyn’s dreamy delivery and big, swooning choruses. The song sees the band managing to balance cathartic release with restraint, which is important for a band that has a penchant for being loud.

The band notes that the song is a tribute to the late Julee Cruise, who was best known for her work with composer Angelo Badalamaenti and director David Lynch in the late 1980s — especially on Twin Peaks.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Led by songwriter and producer Aaro Seppänen, emerging Helsinki-based indie outfit Favourite Colours has quickly developed a unique sound featuring reverb-drenched guitars, lush synths, catchy melodies that draws from ’80s and ’90s dream pop and shoegaze, as well as punk and hip-hop while being rooted in strong emotions, ranging from bittersweet melancholy to heavenly euphoria.

Favourite Colours’ full-length debut, Summer ’13 was released last Friday. The hazy and nostalgia-including album features three previously released singles “Better,” “Through the Night” and “Remember That Day.” The album’s fourth and latest single “Play It Loud” is a brooding yet gorgeous song built around atmospheric and twinkling synths, reverb-drenched shoegazer guitar textures, enormous and rousingly anthemic hooks paired with a plaintive and yearning vocal. Sonically, the song seems to nod at A Storm in Heaven-era Verve, Love Is Here-era Starsailor — with clear nods to Brit Pop.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Antwerp’s Newmoon Shares Shimmering And Atmospheric “Fading Phase”

With the release of 2014’s Invitation to Hold EP, 2016’s Space and 2019’s Nothing Hurts Forever, Antwerp-based shoegazer outfit Newmoon have established a sound and approach that meshes elements of shoegaze, post-punk and alternative rock with dreamy melodies and atmospheric soundscapes paired with emotive lyrics.

The Belgian shoegazer outfit’s third album Temporary Light is slated for a March 22, 2024 release through PIAS Recordings across the European Union and Manifesto Entertainment, a new imprint of Quiet Panic, across the US. Temporary Light reportedly marks the next step in the band’s musical evolution, showcasing their growth as a band and musicians — and their dedication to creating transformative music. Sonically speaking, the album sees the Belgian outfit returning to their roots to embrace an abrasive yet ethereal sound — but with a fresh approach. The band’s new drummer Conor Dawson enriches the band’s signature penchant for grand yet delicate melodies with rhythmic finesse, adding a layer of depth and musicality to the album’s material.

“Thick layers of guitars always felt natural to us, and are kind of our main thing. We wanted to explore some ideas that have been in the back of our mind ever since we started this band,” Newmoon’s Bert Cannaerts explains. “As soon as we let go of trying to write a specific type of album, the songs grew organically and everything just clicked.”

Temporary Light‘s first single is the slow-burning and brooding “Fading Phase.” Built around thunderous drumming and swirling layers of shimmering and painterly guitar textures around the verses, a stormy and towering feedback and reverb-drenched solo paired with dreamily plaintive vocals, “Fading Phase” channels Souvlaki-era Slowdive and A Storm in Heaven-era The Verve and feels as comforting as pulling a warm blanket over you on a chilly night.

“While writing this album Bert got a new guitar. It was an older Rickebacker from the 90’s with loads of wear and tear on it already,” the band says of the new single. “Definitely a guitar that had been loved by an older guitar player before he got it. The main riff of “Fading Phase” was the first thing he wrote on that guitar and after that the whole song just kind of wrote itself. Definitely one of those moments where everything just falls into place.”

The accompanying video follows the members of the Belgian shoegazer outfit getting together for a night out in Antwerp, bar and club hopping, then stop at a house party before heading home, bleary eyed.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay SANDS Shares Shimmering and Wistful “Horizon”

London-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Andrew Sands is the creative mastermind behind the rising JOVM mainstay shoegaze project SANDS. Influenced by Neil Young, David Bowie, The Smiths, David Lynch, Talk Talk, Echo and the Bunnymen and a long list of others, Sands’ own music sees him seamlessly blending rock, psych rock and elements of pop. 

Since starting the project back in 2017, the London-based artist has released a handful of EPs and singles, including 2017’s S/T EP and “Let’s Run”/”Echoes,” 2018’s Waves Calling EP and “Tomorrow’s Gone”/”Burning Man” and 2019’s Nothing Can Go Wrong EP.

Sands’ highly-anticipated full-length debut The World’s So Cruel was released last Friday. And in the lead up to the album’s release, I wrote about three of its previously released singles:

Written and produced at several London studio locations. including Hackney, South Bermondsey and his apartment, the album’s first single, the high energy “Transmission” featured glistening synths, buzzing guitar riffs, a relentlessly propulsive rhythm, a rousingly anthemic series of hooks and choruses paired with Sands’ plaintive delivery and managed to bring The Stone Roses and the Madchester sound to mind — but with a subtly modern take.

“Transmission” is inspired by the busy and eclectic Northeast London neighborhood that Sands once lived in. The lyrics capture the restless energy and activity of the neighborhood in a way that feels very familiar to me as a native New Yorker. And it does so in a way that feels a bit like a contented sigh of being home, and of awe of everything going on around you.

Built around reverb-drenched guitars, skittering and swaggering boom bap-like drum patterns, along with a glitchy bridge and a scorching guitar solo, The World’s So Cruel‘s second single “When It Starts to Rain” is a slick Stone Roses-like vehicle for the London-based artist’s plaintive vocal and his penchant for crafting remarkably catchy hooks and choruses. The track sonically evokes the sense of daydreaming your way through busy, crowded streets, completely immersed in your thoughts and memories, as though you were in a hallucinatory fever dream of the present and your nostalgia.

“Through This Avenue/The Game,” a road trip anthem built around shimmering and hypnotic guitar work, delicate cymbal-driven percussion, bursts of soaring keys, twinkling organ and the London-based artist’s yearning and vulnerable delivery paired with rousingly anthemic, sing-along friendly choruses. 

“‘Through This Avenue /The Game’ is a tribute to 13th Floor Elevators and Roky Erikson. I love his music, voice and the look in his eyes. Fierce and vulnerable at the same time, which I hope can be two traits to describe this track too,” Sands explains. “As in Transmission it draws inspiration from life in that London neighbourhood, but more in a nocturnal setting to the whole picture, like being the soundtrack to that.”

The World’s So Cruel’s fourth and latest single “Horizon” is a slow-burning and meditative track built around shimmering acoustic guitar, soaring synths paired with Sands’ seemingly innate ability to craft a rousingly anthemic, enormous hook and his plaintive vocal. At its heart, “Horizon” is an achingly wistful song that feels chilly and autumnal.

“It’s inspired by the seaside and all it triggers to the senses, the empowering blue all around you,” the London-based artist explains. “Even just the thought of lying in a bed somewhere. I wasn’t sure how it would have come out, as except from the song itself and the outro guitar I hadn’t written any part, so a lot came out in the studio when doing it. To me this gives it spontaneity and makes it sound fresh.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Phoenix’s MRCH Shares Anthemic “Wild”

Phoenix-based shoegazer outfit MRCH (pronounced as March) — Mickey and Jess Pangburn — can trace their origins to when the duo met at a music store. Their backgrounds at the time were polar opposites: Mickey was a singer/songwriter and Jesse was a prog metal musician. But their differences became a strength — not only in regards to their genre backgrounds, but also their personalities: Mickey longed to make an emotional connection while Jesse loved to experiment with new sounds. 

The pair studied jazz in Phoenix before shared influences like Cocteau Twins, New Order, Metric, Phantogram, St. Vincent, Purity Ring, and Beach House led to the creation of MRCH. 

Their latest EP, the recently released TV Bliss is the follow-up to 2020’s No-Holds-Barred EP. The new EP represents a bold new era for the Phoenix-based duo: They delved much deeper into collaboration, first developing demos with the help of Jimmy Eat World‘s Jim Adkins. They also enlisted the assistance of Grammy-nominated producer Tony Hoffer and mastering by Dave Cooley. 

The EP’s lyrical themes and visual aesthetic were inspired by Mickey Pangburn’s childhood memories of being lost in the escapism of television. Fittingly, the band has had songs appear in a number of TV shows including Shameless, Guilt, The Vampire Diaries, Famous in Love, Search Party, 13 Reasons Why, and The Twilight Zone. 

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about EP single “Cherry Painted Eyes,” a dreamy bit of shoegaze that brings back memories of 120 Minutes with the song being built around glistening synth arpeggios, Mickey Pangburn’s yearning delivery, buzzing guitars, thunderous drumming and rousingly anthemic, shout-along worthy choruses. But as the band explains, the upbeat nature of the song is actually deceptive. 

“‘Cherry Painted Eyes’ is a song riddled with anxiety. Describing a series of panic attacks and bloodshot eyes . . .,” the band explains. “We wanted to make the video a little more lighthearted than that thought. Set in the void of space, complete with near hit from a passing comet, and a drink to take the edge off. This vid is a DIY playful nod to classics from The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins.”

TV Bliss’ latest single, the swooning “Wild” immediately channels Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness-era Smashing Pumpkins with Mickey Pangburn’s ethereal falsetto floating over a dreamy yet dramatic arrangement featuring painterly shoegazer textures paired with thunderous drumming and enormous hooks and choruses. Thematically, the song is about taking chances and being adventurous. As the band says of the song: “Life’s short. Do the thing.”

Directed by the band’s Mickey Pangburn and shot by Frank Thomas in Arcosanti, AZ, the video follows the duo through some eye-catching futuristic architecture on a glorious sunny day. According to the band, the video encapsulates the sentiment at the core of the song: “Growing up in the middle of the Arizona desert, Arcosanti is a well known artist community. Kind of Star Warsian. We wanted to feature something uniquely home state with a futuristic element cause we’re looking forward… maybe even allowing ourselves to be excited about what’s next ~ which is really what ‘Wild’ is about. Taking a chance on an adventure.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Florence-based shoegazers We Melt Chocolate can trace their origins back to the fusion of two different bands evanicetrip and Shades of Blue back in 2012. Since then, the Italian band over a handful of releases that includes a self-released demo, and an EP and their full-length debut through Annibale Records has firmly cemented a sound and approach that equally draws from the noisier side of shoegaze — i.e.,  My Bloody Valentine, Lush, and even The Sugarcubes. 

The band has opened for a number of internationally renowned bands including The Shivas, Holy Wave, The Asteroid No. 4, The Underground Youth, His Clancyness, Magic Shoppe, Your 33 Black Angels and GIFT among a growing list of others.

Holy Gaze, the Florence-based outfit’s highly anticipated and long awaited sophomore album is slated for a fall release through Miracle Waves and features guest spots from Francesco D’Elia, Rev Rev Rev‘s Sebastian Lugli and Sensitive Club‘s Ben Moro.

Earlier this year, I wrote about album single “No Meaning Man,” a song that alternates between dreamy and stormy passages built around a relentless motorik groove, layers of distorted and fuzzy guitar textures, shimmering synths, thunderous drumming paired with reverb-soaked vocals buried within the oceanic mix. Thematically, the song speaks of disillusionment with superficial people, who base their entire lives on appearances and conceal their vapidity and lack of empathy towards others.

“Holy Ramen,” Holy Gaze‘s latest single showcases the Italian outfit at their dreamiest to date — with the song featuring swirling Slowdive and A Storm in Heaven-like guitar textures paired with a driving rhythm section and yearning, ethereal vocals.

The band explains that “Holy Ramen” is an exhortation to overcome daily difficulties, look at the sky and allow yourself a special, sacred moment just for you. “For us (particularly for the singer), one of these moments is indulging in a good hot ramen.” The band goes on to say that for them, “it is the simplest moments that become sacred.”