Category: Shoegaze

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Miki Berenyi Trio Shares Dance Floor Friendly “Big I Am”

Miki Berenyi Trio features an acclaimed and accomplished group of artists:

  • Miki Berenyi (vocals/ guitar), a founding member, frontperson and rhythm guitarist of acclaimed and iconic shoegazer outfit Lush — and the founder and frontperson of acclaimed outfit Piroshka

  • Kevin “Moose” McKillop (guitar), a founding member of acclaimed shoegazers Moose, Berenyi’s spouse and Piroshka bandmate 

  • Oliver Cherer (bass)

The band is named after its lead singer — a direct way to convey the presence of former Lush frontperson Miki Berenyi, one of the most beloved figures and recognizable faces of 1990s alternative rock and shoeegaze. Their highly-anticipated full-length debut, Tripla derives it name from the Hungarian word for “triple” acknowledging that the band’s songwriting is entirely a three-way collaboration.

Slated for an April 4, 2025 release through Bella Union, the trio’s debut album, is reportedly a landmark album for the acclaimed trio that sees the trio crafting a rich and lushly layered, imaginative and uniquely slanted take on dream pop that features an often euphoric and occasionally melancholic mix of guitars and electronics paired with Berenyi’s imitable vocal and a worldview that vacillates between profound, yearning and abrasive — perhaps from lived-in experience and wisdom.

Interestingly, despite the album’s sophisticated sound, the trio have done so with a focus on the basics, not only recording at home, but driving around in a car packed with their gear, loading in and out of venues themselves — much like in the old days. “There is something very ‘grass roots’ about what we’re doing,” Miki Berenyi Trio’s Miki Berenyi says.  “There’s no point following the ‘announce the album, then tour, then record the next album’ route – we just want to wring as much enjoyment out of this as we can, and hope that it resonates somewhere!”

Tripla‘s latest single “Big I Am” sees the trio pairing dance floor New Wave-meets-electro pop beats, shoegazer textures and a slick motorik groove but the song eviscerates the pretend alpha/macho aggression of social media creeps like Andrew Tate and others, revealing that they’re insecure, frightened buffoons.

“I’ve witnessed 50+ years of the trends in masculinity and frankly, nothing much changes – as ever, there are good men and there are shit men, and there are boys who can be misguided but easily mature into the best of their sex,” Miki Berenyi says. “But this latest incarnation of ‘winning’ the sex war is a laughably infantile and willfully regressive new low.”

Directed by Sébastien Faits-Divers, the accompanying video was filmed at the Consortium Museum (Contemporary Art Center) in Dijon, France, in one of the Isabella Ducrot “Profusione” exhibition rooms, and features the band performing the song and includes some trippy fish-eye lens shots.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Heaven Returns with Brooding and Cinematic “The Fire You Know”

New York-based shoegazers Heaven was founded in the wake of its founding members Matt Sumrow (vocals, guitar) and Mikey Jones (drums) touring and recording with Dean and Britta, Swervedriver, Ambulance LTD, Caveman, The Comas, The Lemonheads and a lengthy list of others. With the addition of their newest member, Sonia Manalili, the shoegazer trio are gearing up to release their first full-length album in over seven years, their third album, Dream Aloud. 

Slated for an April 4, 2025 release through Little Cloud Records, Dream Aloud is reportedly the New York-based trio’s most somnambulistic album to date. The album, which was recorded here in New York with Jonathan Krienik, features a guest spot from Longwave’s and Wah Together‘s Steve Schlitz. 

Earlier this year, I wrote about album single “I Need You More Somehow,” a track that’s a hook-driven, slick synthesis of Heroes-era Bowie, New Zealand jangle pop paired with bursts of feedback and Sumrow’s longing vocal. “Both at home on the beach in California or a seedy underground nightclub in Glasgow or Berlin, the song layers two worlds,” Heaven’s Matt Sumrow says. “The lyrics are purposefully ambiguous, needing more of someone and longing for more connection, but also sounding content and blissful with the present situation at the same time.”

Dream Aloud’s fourth and latest single “The Fire You Know” is a brooding and melancholy song that reminds me a bit of Ocean Rain-era Echo and the Bunnymen and Psychedelic Furs with a lush string arrangement from cellist Megan LaMarca and propulsive drumming that drives the song from its fever dream-like verses to a chugging hook and dreamy coda. Thematically, the song touches upon deeply held secrets, fated beliefs and madness which, fittingly emphasize the song’s swooningly Romantic vibe.

Directed and shot by Jeska Sand, the video for “The Fire You Know was shot in and around an early 20th century farmhouse in Narrowsburg, NY follows the trio in a snow-covered landscape reminiscent of U2‘s “New Year’s Day” before entering the old farmhouse and going mad.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: she’s green Shares “120 Minutes” MTV-like “Graze”

With the release of their earliest singles “river” and “smile again,” the Minneapolis-based quintet quickly became a staple within the Midwestern alternative scene, while earning praise from Complex, Star Tribune and The Current. Their debut EP, 2023’s Wisteria saw the band establishing an honest and exploratory songwriting process and a reputation for being a force in the world of sonic surrealism. Adding to a growing profile, the rising Minnesotans have supported their material with tours throughout the Midwest and East Coast with the likes of Hotline TNT, Glixen, Friko and others.

she’s green recently signed to New York-based Photo Finish Records, who released the Henry Stoehr-produced “Graze,” the first bit of new material since Wisteria EP. Featuring glistening and swirling, reverb-soaked guitar textures, Smith’s dreamily ethereal vocal, strummed acoustic guitar for the song’s first half, an explosive feedback and fuzzy power-chord driven middle section and a placid, almost folksy strummed acoustic guitar coda, “Graze” recalls Souvlaki-era Slowdive while evoking an aching longing.

“This song is about feeling trapped in a distant memory and longing to find a way out,” she’s green says about “Graze.” “The only way to escape seems to be facing it head-on and finally getting the release you need.”

The accompanying video for “Graze,” features the band’s Zofia Smith serenely swirling around a summery verdant forest, near one of their home state’s many lakes, with the sun dappling off the rippling water. As the song swells with intensity, the visuals become trippier and more frenzied, urgent and mind-bending. As a child of the 80s and 90s, this one brought back fond memories of 120 Minutes-era MTV.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Cigarettes for Breakfast Shares Churning and Anthemic “Glue”

Cigarettes for Breakfast is the bedroom project of Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter and musician Matt Whiteford and an ever-changing cast of bandmembers and collaborators. The project has made a name for itself on the DIY and shoegaze scenes through crating lush soundscapes and raw, emotive, fuzzed-out performances that capture the essence of classic sheogaze and dream pop — but with their own, unique take and sensibility.

The Philadelphia-based project has shared stages with acts like Slow Crush, The Asteroid No. 4, Mahogany and a growing list of others. And building upon a growing profile, their full-length debut, 2023’s Join the Circus, an effort that showcased their ability to take the listener on a journey while exploring themes of love, loss and self-discovery garnered a comparison to The Jesus and Mary Chain from Rolling Stone.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Glixen Shares Churning and Enveloping “all tied up”

Phoenix-based shoegazers Glixen — Aislinn Ritchie (vocals), Esteban Santana (guitar), Keire Johnson (drums) and Sonia Garcia (bass) — was founded back in 2020 by the band’s Aislinn Ritchie, who then enlisted Santana, Johnson, and Garcia to complete the band’s lineup. Emerging from a scene of local DIY artists, the quartet’s unique sound and look set them apart from their counterparts and led to tours across the US alongside bands like Narrow Head, Cowgirl Clue, MSPaint, Hotline TNT, and They’re Gutting A Body of Water. 

Glixen’s debut EP She Only Said was released in the summer of 2023 through Julia’s War Recordings. The EP saw the band adding themselves to a list of contemporary shoegaze outfits actively pushing the genre in a new direction — through a approach that incorporates ethereal pop vocals and shimmering guitars that are meant to guide you toward the feeling of true self-expression. 

Building upon a growing profile, the Phoenix-based shoegazers’ highly-anticiapted Sonny DiPerri-produced sophomore EP quiet pleasures is slated for a February 21, 2025 release digitally through AWAL and on vinyl through Wichita Recordings. The EP will feature previously release singles “sick silent” and three singles I wrote about on this site:

  • “foreversoon,” a woozy bit of shoegaze built around fuzzy and melodic power chord-driven guitars, thunderous drumming and Ritchie’s tender and ethereal falsetto paired with enormous hooks and choruses. “foreverspoon” sees the Phoenix-based outfit taking up a much heavier sound that seemingly channels Souvlaki-era Slowdive, Nowhere-era RIDE, and contemporaries like JOVM mainstays Blushing. “‘foreversoon’ represents blissful moments of new love and intimacy,” Glixen’s Aislinn Ritchie explains. “The song harnesses melancholy chords, layered with fuzzy red melodies and gliding guitars that pull you in deeper. I wanted my lyrics to feel like a conversation that expresses my infatuation and sensuality. Time is relentless and memories are fleeting, this song encapsulates those emotions forever.”

  • “lust” is a woozy track that sees the band continuing to explore a heavier sound — but this time channeling 90s grunge and nu-metal with fuzz and distorted pedaled power chords, down-tuned bass and blissed out rhythms. Ritchie’s yearning vocal ethereally floating over the brooding and muscular arrangement. “lust” is about the yearning and wanting of somebody and the rush that that person makes you feel,” Glixen’s Aislinn Ritchie explains. “It is a feeling that is shallow, yet it feels intense and passionate but only for a moment. We wanted to take the direction of our sound to a heavier place. I wanted the weight of the sound to crush me.”

  • “lick the star,” which begins with an eerily atmospheric sound bath-inspired introduction that sounds a bit like Cocteau Twins and Slowdive, before quickly turning into a wall of sound of fuzzy and swirling guitar textures, thunderous drumming paired with Ritchie’s ethereal yet plaintive delivery before ending with bursts of feedback. 

Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site, you might recall that last year was a busy year for the rising Phoenix-based shoegazers: They played SXSW and Treefort Festval. They’ve also had opening slots for acts like Interpol, DIIV, Nothing., Tanukichan, Turnover, Glare, Glitterer, Softcult and Fish Narc among others. 

Building upon the rising momentum surrounding the band, 2025 looks to potentially be a breakthrough year: Along with the forthcoming release of their sophomore EP, the band will be embarking on their first North American headlining tour throughout February and March with openers Suzy Clue and she’s green. The tour will include a March 15, 2024 stop at Baby’s All Right and their Coachella debut in April. Check out the rest of the tour dates below.

The newest JOVM mainstays’ latest single “all tied up” is features churning and stormy guitars, pummeling drumming around Ritchie’s pleading delivery. “all tied up” showcases the band’s uncanny knack for crafting deeply earnest material with rousingly anthemic hooks and chorus that sounds indebted to classic shoegaze — but with a subtly modern sensibility.

“‘all tied up’ is about feeling completely consumed by someone,” says Ritchie. “We definitely wanted the song to feel enveloping. There’s a subtle tension that builds throughout with a push and pull between the guitars and vocals. The song hits hard with its emotional depth, yet breathes with a playful melody.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: High. Returns with Swooning and Anthemic “Flowers”

Boonton, NJ-based shoegazers High. can trace their origins back to 2021 when Christian Castan (vocals, guitar) and Bridget Bakie (bass, vocals) met while playing across the Garden State’s DIY and college circuit. During that time, Bakie built and developed a reputation as “The Queen of The Quarter Note,” and Casten as an unforgettable guitarist. After the pair had a stint playing in another band together, they longed for a project that would be their sole creative focus and could tour as far as wide as possible.

A couple of weeks after adding Jack Miller (drums) and Danny Zavala (guitar), the newly-minted quartet made their live debut at Saint Vitus Bar. They followed up with shows across the Tristate DIY circuit.

The New Jersey-based quartet’s highly-anticipated Matthew Molnar-produced sophomore EP Come Back Down officially dropped today. The EP’s first sessions started in June 2023 when the band, along with Molnar went to Chairlift‘s Patrick Wimberly‘s Greenpoint studio to test new material with engineer Sam Darwish. They also brought tracks to Shane Furst and his Cloud Factory Recording to review their recent work and begin the next stages of completion. 

Come Back Down marks the beginning of the band’s partnership with Kanine Records — and a key period in the band’s development. With a greater expression of sonic range, the EP sees the band offering more noise, more hooks, more heaviness and much more emotion: The sad is much sadder and the love is more swooningly in love. There are more song about loss and being lost. For the band, it’s the culmination of their growth after the release of their well-received debut EP Bomber, which was released through Julia’s War and Suburban Creep.

Last fall, the band took a break from the sessions to do a week-long tour with Austin-based outfit STAB, as well as opening slots for DIIV, Glare, Lowertown, A Place To Bury Strangers, as well as a Midwest run with Chicago’s Smut. After touring across the nation, the band finished the EP with Jeff Ziegler at his Philadelphia-based Uniform Recording. Zeigler’s work on Nothing.’s Guilty of Everything has been a major inspiration for the New Jersey-based group. 

In the lead-up to the EP’s release, I wrote about two of its previously released singles:

  • “In A Hole,” a decidedly 120 Minutes MTV-era take on shoegaze anchored around a towering wall of stormy guitars, thunderous drumming and ethereal boy-girl harmonies. The song’s brooding soundscape evokes the stormy emotions, trauma and unease that inspired it — but also the comfort of finding friendship and a community that truly understands where you’re coming from. “’In A Hole’ is inspired by meeting our group of friends,” High.’s Christian Castan explains. “It’s about being depressed and the people close to you dragging you out of it. It’s about the peace and belonging I used to dream about during childhood trauma and finally finding it. There’s a lyric – ‘These are the new stars, they burst alive.’  It’s about living life at its best and never wanting that feeling to end.”

  • “Catcher” which continued a run of 120 Minutes MTV-like shoegaze, much like its immediate predecessor while featuring remarkably blissed out choruses and hooks. Arguably one of the most swoon worthy songs of the New Jersey shoegazers growing catalog, “Catcher” is anchored around deeply introspective lyrics tackling grief with a wisdom that belies their relative youth. “I came to the band with the structure chords and bassline of this song, I am very attached to the music personally. Then, Christian wrote lyrics over it that have massive significance to him,” the band’s Bridget Bakie says. “’Catcher’ explores the depths of grief and the unwavering hope that binds us to those we’ve lost,” the band’s Castan adds.

To celebrate the release of their sophomore EP, the New Jersey-based shogazers shared videos for EP singles “Flowers” and “Dead,” directed by Luke Carr. Right now, I’m going to talk about “Flowers,” an urgent and swooning song featuring swirling, feedback-driven guitar textures, a propulsive rhythm section, rousingly anthemic hooks and choruses serving as a lush yet subtly stormy bed for Casten’s yearning delivery.

The accompanying video follows the band, presumably on tour, heading down to Atlantic City to gamble and party with a collection of friends, followed by a contemplative late night hang on the beach until sunrise.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Heaven Shares Hook-Driven and Yearning “I Need You More Somehow”

New York-based shoegazers Heaven was founded in the wake of its founding members Matt Sumrow (vocals, guitar) and Mikey Jones (drums) touring and recording with Dean and Britta, Swervedriver, Ambulance LTD, Caveman, The Comas, The Lemonheads and a lengthy list of others. With the addition of their newest member, Sonia Manalili, the shoegazer trio are gearing up to release their first full-length album in over seven years, their third album, Dream Aloud.

Slated for an April 4, 2025 release through Little Cloud Records, Dream Aloud is reportedly the New York-based trio’s most somnambulistic album to date. The album, which was recorded here in New York with Jonathan Krienik, features a guest spot from Longwave’s and Wah Together‘s Steve Schlitz.

The album’s second and latest single “I Need You More Somehow” strikes me as sounding a bit like a hook-driven slick synthesis of Heroes-era Bowie, New Zealand jangle pop paired with bursts of feedback and Sumrow’s longing vocal.

“Both at home on the beach in California or a seedy underground nightclub in Glasgow or Berlin, the song layers two worlds,” Heaven’s Matt Sumrow says. “The lyrics are purposefully ambiguous, needing more of someone and longing for more connection, but also sounding content and blissful with the present situation at the same time.”

Filmed at Mercury Lounge, the accompanying video for “I Need You More Somehow” was specifically shot and edited to resemble 80s and 80s video footage, CCTV or straight-to-home-video-like footage, being a loving homage to the era of their influences. And throughout the video, the band is seen performing while enveloped in a hazy blue and pink swirling lights.