Category: Shoegaze

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Chicago’s Snowcuffs Shares Hazy and Anthemic “Burst”

Formed back in 2022, Chicago-based dream pop outfit Snowcuffs features members of Lightfoils and Astrobrite, Their debut EP, last year’s Sink Down saw the band quickly establishing a sound that balanced shimmering textures and memorable hooks. Inspired by Alvvays, Beach House and Mazzy Star, their work frequently drifts between nostalgic haze and fuzz-driven intensity while thematically touching upon longing, reflection and fleeting beauty.

The band has shared stages with Cold Gawd, Seashine and Cigarettes for Breakfast, and played a standout set at Kalamashoegazer, the country’s longest-running shoegaze festival.

Building upon a growing profile in the national shoegaze and dream pop scenes, the Chicago-based outfit’s sophomore EP Sweet Gravity is slated for a March 5, 2026 release. Engineered by Sanford Parker at Hypercube Studios, mixed by Robert Cheek and mastered by Baseline Audio Labs’ Chris Goosman, Sweet Gravity EP reportedly sees the band showcasing refined songwriting and a much more expansive sound that pushes the boundaries of dream pop without losing its heart and soul.

Sweet Gravity EP‘s latest single “Burst” sees the band pairing shimmering and swirling guitar textures, a forcefully driving rhythm section and remarkably catchy, rousingly anthemic hooks with ethereal vocals. Sonically, “Burst” seemingly nods at 120 Minutes-era MTV shoegaze and alternative rock — but with a decidedly modern sensibility. And at its core is a song and a narrator struggling with crippling ambivalence and self-doubt.

The band explains that “‘Burst’ is about the struggle of trying to be everything at once, and what happens when inaction, ambivalence, and self-doubt slowly erode your options in life.

I wait and see
Stare at the tree
Will it die of thirst
And fall down on me?

Ambivalence isn’t neutral, it’s destructive.”

Directed by Dave Rentaukas, the accompanying video for “Burst” is split between footage of the band’s lead singer in a Chicago area park as the sun begins to set and the rest of the band performing in a studio in front brooding yet trippy projections.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Allegories Shares Bleak and Yearning “The Next Life”

Since the release of 2022’s Endless, the Canadian experimental pop duo and JOVM mainstays  Allegories — childhood friends Adam Bentley and Jordan Mitchell — have released a growing collection of standalone singles. 

Over the course of last year, the duo shared DREAMCRUSHER” “Stay Out Of The Basement,” “Baker’s Lung,” and “Mid Century Nothing,” the first four of a series of singles that originally started out as bare-bones ukulele sketches, which gradually transformed into idiosyncratic electronic music sound sculptures.

The Canadian JOVM mainstays begin 2026 with “The Next Life,” a shoegazer textured tune that may arguably be the most unflinchingly bleak, song that the duo have ever written or recorded. Inching towards being an anthem but stubbornly refusing cathartic release, the song sees the duo staring into existential despair, exploring nihilism and deferred hope, while asking “What if there’s nothing besides this? What then?”

“There’s no way around it,” Allegories’ Adam Bentley explains. “This is the most pessimistic reflection on life and existence I’ve ever put forward.”

Like its four immediate predecessors, “The Next Life” was originally written on ukulele and underwent multiple transformations before the final version. Beginning as a skeletal folk sketch was first recontextualized through electronic instrumentation, then reshaped again using the organic, analog tools and instruments typically associated with a rock band. “Just as it feels ready to lift its skinny fists to the heavens and brush against hope, I instead dig deeper into a nihilistic, defeated worldview,” Bentley says. In the next life, we’re told, our prayers will be answered. Our dreams are achieved. The world is at last in harmony.”

The accompanying video features the duo performing the song in the studio, filmed on warped, fucked up VHS tape. For those of you who remember, y’all know.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstays Lucid Express Return with Lush, Brooding “Faux Sweetness”

Hong Kong-based shoegazers and JOVM mainstays Lucid Express will be releasing their long-awaited and highly-anticipated sophomore album Instant Comfort on February 20, 2026 through Kanine Records. 

Mixed by Kurt Feldman during marathon overnight, transpacific sessions on Discord, Instant Comfort reportedly captures the unsettling stillness of the nighttime hours. The album’s material sonically sees the Hong Kong-based JOVM mainstays pairing ethereal melodies with towering walls of jangling guitars and hazy, swirling feedback while being more clear-eyed, complex and layered than anything they’ve released to date. 

The album will feature the previously released “Something Blue,” a woozy and uneasy tune, anchored around a classic grunge and shoegaze structure, and the album’s second and latest single “Faux Sweetness.” Arguably one of the more Cocteau Twins-like tunes they’ve written and released to date, “Faux Sweetness” opens with a droning theremin passage before bursting into a densely layered, subtly brooding soundscape in which each instrument is seamlessly interwoven into a lush and dreamy bed for Kim Ho’s ethereal cooing.

Lucid Express’ Kim Ho says, “on ‘Faux Sweetness’ we return to some of our earliest indie pop influences while also mixing in some of the darker sounds we’ve picked up over years of experimenting in our studio space. It kind of led us to make something that is both heavier and more delicate than anything we’d written up to that point.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Draag Shares Woozily Meditative “NSPS”

With the release of their full-length debut, 2023’s Dark Fire Heresy and last year’s Actually, the quiet is nice EP, Los Angeles-based shoegazers and JOVM mainstays Draag — Adrian Acosta (vocals, guitar), Jessica Huang (vocals, synths), Ray Montes (guitar), Nick Kelley (bass) and Nathan Najera (drums) — received attention nationally and elsewhere for boldly pushing the boundaries of shoegaze into new, wild directions. And adding to a growing profile, the JOVM mainstay outfit have toured with Wednesday, MSPAINT, Glitterer and They Are Gutting A Body Of Water.

Building upon growing momentum, the Los Angeles-based JOVM mainstays will start the new year with the Miracle Drug EP, which is slated for a January 23, 2026 through Oakland-based tastemaker label, Smoking Room. 

The EP will feature the previously released, EP title track “Miracle Drug,” a mind-bending blend of shoegaze, post-punk and nu-metal, and the EP’s second single “NSPS.” “NSPS” is meditative slow-burn, anchored around a woozy and lived-in sense of nostalgia, shame and heartache, from the perspective of a narrator, who has lived a messy life and attained a difficult, hard-won peace and constantly encounters elements of their past — in their present.

“I wrote NSPS on my 10 year sobriety anniversary. I’ve come very far in my sobriety journey and don’t struggle as much as I used to. Sometimes I miss my drunken days, but without needing to go back. On my 10 year sobrieversary, I spent a lot of time reflecting on past relationships and saw how many were taking advantage of me,” Draag’s Adrian Costa explains. “I remember the person I was back then, and I wanted approval so bad, even if it meant being abused by so called friends and partners. When I drive through the valley (818), I often drive through specific locations and landmarks in my life where abysmal and ridiculous events occurred during my drinking days. I still love this place and it’s still my place of comfort.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Mute Swan Teams Up with Sonoda on Intergalactic “Phantasms of the Living”

With the release of their debut EP, 2016’s Ultraviolet and their full-length debut, 2021’s Only Ever, Tucson-based shoegaze/dream pop outfit Mute Swan — currently, Mike Barnett (guitar/vocals), Prabjit Virdee (bass, vocals), and Gilbert Flores (drums) — quickly established a swirling, densely layered take on psych rock that some critics and others have compared to Of Montreal and Soft Bulletin-era Flaming Lips. 

2021’s Only Ever was released to praise from The FADER, Merry-Go-Round Magazine and several others, as well as airplay on KEXP.

Earlier this year, the band signed to Hit The North Records/Wooden Tooth Records, who will be releasing their long-awaited sophomore album Skin Slip on March 6, 2026. The album will feature a batch of material that will be posthumously released after the death of founding member Thomas Sloane, including the previously released “Hypnosis Tapes,” and “Cocteau Swan,” which featured Citrus Clouds‘ Stacie Huttleson.

The Tucson-based outfit begin 2026 with Skin Slip‘s third and latest single, “Phantasms of the Living,” featuring Sonoda. “Phantasms of the Living” is a dreamy, intergalactic tune anchored around the sort of dense layers of guitars that may remind some of Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins paired with razor sharp hooks.

“Several years ago I got into reading books about non-duality. The lyrics of this song were inspired by a British non-dualist named Tony Parsons but the title actually comes from a 19th century book about ghosts of people who are still alive,” Mute Swan’s Mike Barnett explains. “There’s a connection there but, anyway, we were very excited after writing this song together. This song is one of our favorites. And Lisa (Sonoda) singing on it was the absolute cherry on top.”

Directed by the band’s Mike Barnett, the accompanying video for “Phantasms of the Living” is a deliriously odd DIY effort that’s split between a house gathering watching an old movie “Phantasms of the Living,” followed by a ouija board that seemingly opens a portal into the murder and mayhem of the movie they were originally watching.

singer/songwriters by William Ruben Helms

Albums of the Year 2025

JOVM turns 16 this year. And for first handful of years, my Best of List was an annual tradition until about 2014 or so. Between 2014 and 2020, it became sporadic and then it stopped. I haven’t done one of these in several years. There was a part of me that wondered if it really mattered much. And then life happened. 

So here we are in 2026. And with the year starting in earnest, let’s check out my best of 2025. 

  1. Big Fish Fyra liter stoft
  2. Tan Cologne Unknown Beyond
  3. Moondaddy Dove Tapes
  4. Sessa Pequena Vertigem de Amor
  5. Preservation Brass & Preservation Hall Jazz Band For Fat Man
  6. Silk Daisys S/T
  7. The Circling Sun Orbits
  8. Gabriel da Rosa Cacofonia
  9. Yoo Doo Right, Population II & Nolan Potter Yoo II avec Nolan Potter
  10. bat zoo The Upward Bird EP
  11. Public Circuit Modern Church
  12. L’Eclair Cloud Drifter
  13. Gloin All of your anger is actually shame (and I bet that makes you angry)
  14. CIVIC Chrome Dipped
  15. Population II Maintenant Jamais
  16. White Birches A New Reign
  17. Anish Kumar and Hagop Tchaparian Kino EP
  18. Friendship Commanders BEAR 
  19. The Besnard Lakes The Besnard Lakes are the Ghost Nation
  20. SHOLTO The Sirens
  21. S.C.A.B. Somebody In New York Loves You!
  22. Pierpont & Hegeleson Of Time
  23. RORO and snapir Colors Left
  24. St. Panther Strange World 
  25. Nation of Language Dance Called Memory
  26. Quad90 S/T
  27. Slumbering Sun Starmony
  28. Tunde Adebimpe Thee Black Boltz 
  29. Quad90 S/T
  30. Die Spitz Something To Consume
  31. debdepan LOVERS & OTHERS EP

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Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 64th Birthday, Robin Guthrie!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie’s 64th birthday.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: JOVM Mainstays Draag Shares Genre-Bending “Miracle Drug”

With the release of their full-length debut, 2023’s Dark Fire Heresy and last year’s Actually, the quiet is nice EP, Los Angeles-based shoegazers and JOVM mainstays Draag — Adrian Acosta (vocals, guitar), Jessica Huang (vocals, synths), Ray Montes (guitar), Nick Kelley (bass) and Nathan Najera (drums) — received nationally and elsewhere for boldly pushing the boundaries of shoegaze into new, wild directions. And adding to a growing profile, the JOVM mainstay outfit have toured with Wednesday, MSPAINT, Glitterer and are about to wrap up a run of dates with They Are Gutting A Body Of Water.

Building upon growing momentum, the Los Angeles-based JOVM mainstays will start the new year with the Miracle Drug EP, which is slated for a January 23, 2026 through Oakland-based tastemaker label, Smoking Room.

The EP’s first single, EP title track “Miracle Drug” is a mind-bending blend of shoegaze, post-punk and nu-metal that evokes the inner turmoil of someone, who’s suffering from something that they know others can’t see — or even really understand. But in the song’s dreamier moments, there’s a sense of awe and appreciation over the small things.

“Living with an autoimmune condition is an invisible daily fight. Some days you want a miracle drug to escape what feels like a prison in your body,” Draag’s Adrian Acosta says about the new single. “But you don’t take your health for granted. And you learn how to appreciate life and super simple moments deeply. I feel like it’s given me a sharp vision of what really matters.”

The accompanying video is heavily inspired by the aesthetic and feel 80s and 90s Public Access TV including footage of local performers in a shitty studio, the band performing the song in a studio, home footage of young kids in their first band, as well as a lengthy call-in segment with calls from deranged viewers.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Silk Daisys Shares A Shimmering Christmastime Original

Atlanta-based dream pop/post-punk duo Silk Daisys — James Abercrombie and romantic partner Karla Jean Davis — have been making music together for some time, but their Silk Daisys and Damon Moon co-produced debut will be their first, official release. Interestingly, the Silk Daisys name has been around even further, with Abercrombie using the name on Soundcloud for about a decade to upload random covers and the occasional original song. 

“We recorded our album over two weeks with Damon Moon (Bathe Alone, Sleepers Club) at this studio Standard Electric Recorders in Atlanta. Damon was awesome to work with,” the duo says. “We spent a ton of time just talking about music the three of us love and sharing songs back and forth. We’d name some obscure part of a song as a reference and he’d get it immediately, and dial in the tones perfectly. Damon also played drums and percussion on the album. The three of us produced it together, and it was all really collaborative and fun.”` 

The Atlanta-based duo’s full-length debut is slated for a Friday release, and will feature the previously released Halloween-themed “Haunted House,” a track that seemingly channels Pygmalion and Souvlaki-era Slowdive, and “honeymilk,” a contented sigh of a tune that’s one-part 90s shoegaze fuzz and one-part 60s bubble gum pop.

Just before the release of their self-titled debut, the Atlanta-based duo release a Christmas season original and standalone track, “it’s just like xmas,” an effortless blend of old-timey holiday tunes and Cocteau Twins, anchored around shimmering guitar and the timeless hope for a better, more peaceful world for all of us.

“I wrote this one on Christmas Day last year. There’s always a moment of calm in our house after the initial excitement of Christmas morning, and I find myself playing guitar or piano during those moments and thinking about the year we left behind and the year ahead,” the band’s James Abercrombie says. “I thought a lot about our kids, and I thought a lot about the kids who were currently living in countries that were being torn apart by war. The song ended up being a simple wish for peace, a calm all over the world like the ones I so often take for granted on Christmas afternoon.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 49th Birthday, Oliver Ackermann!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates A Place to Bury Strangers frontman Oliver Ackermann’s 49th birthday.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Lucid Express Shares Woozy “Something Blue”

Hong Kong-based shoegazers and JOVM mainstays Lucid Express will be releasing their long-awaited and highly-anticipated sophomore album Instant Comfort on February 20, 2026 through Kanine Records.

Mixed by Kurt Feldman during marathon overnight, transpacific sessions on Discord, Instant Comfort reportedly captures the unsettling stillness of the nighttime hours. The album’s material sonically sees the Hong Kong-based outfit pairing ethereal melodies with towering walls of jangling guitars and hazy, swirling feedback while being more clear-eyed, complex and layered than anything they’ve released to date.

Instant Comfort‘s first single “Something Blue” is anchored around a classic grunge and shoegaze song structure — shimmering and dreamily meditative soundscape-driven verses and stormy walls of churning and fuzzy power chords for the song’s enormous hooks and choruses. The song’s woozy and uneasy nature, helps to further emphasize the band’s Kim Ho’s ethereal delivery exploring the sense of creeping dead and melancholy that comes from uncertain relationships/situationships.

The accompanying video for “Something Blue” features the band in front of projections of footage submitted by fans and friends from across the globe.

Now, as you may know, since the release of 2021’s self-titled full-length debut, the band has amassed praise from fans and critics across the globe, toured internationally and made a run of the international festival circuit with stops at Slide Away and LEVITATION. They will return to North America next year for a sting of Stateside dates, including a return to play New Colossus Festival in March. More details on that to come.