Shoegaze is defined as “melodic rock music typically characterized by heavily processed electric guitar and indistinct, often distant-sounding vocals.” Shoegaze works well because of the emotions — like sadness and melancholy — poured into the songs. These intense emotions are what listeners resonate with the most and what gave shoegaze its cult following. The genre peaked in the ‘90s with notable bands such as Slowdive, Lush, and My Bloody Valentine. This playlist is my choice of three songs, from the 1990s to the 2020s, that bring out those comforting, sad feelings.
“2” by Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland
This dreamy, surreal track highlights the longing and romance of shoegaze. “2” feels like a frustrating dance between two people in a relationship — where one is in love and the other is not. Copeland’s vocals and lyrics represent one half of the couple who are so in love and infatuated: “It’s so good when I’m near you.” Blunt’s dream-like production uses static sounds to produce a nostalgic feel and represents the other individual who masks their sadness for a love that once existed. Blunt composes an echoing effect on Copeland’s vocals that makes her feel as if she were fading out of the song as the static and the beat gradually get louder. Together, they create a song that feels like a glimpse into an intimate yet dying relationship.
“My Baby’s Got It Out For Me” by a.s.o. and Alias Error
If you have ever wanted a song that joins Portishead and Massive Attack, “My Baby’s Got It Out For Me” by a.s.o. and Alias Error is your answer. The track is aware of its predecessors but still manages to create a song that feels fresh and alive. The sensual vocals from Error mixed with the trip-hop (a blend of slow-tempo hip-hop and experimental sounds) beats gives the song a dark, electronic atmosphere. Where the influence of shoegaze shines in this track is in its bass and guitar. While played softly, the synthesized bass creates a deep underlayer of rock and roll, and the electric guitar delivers texture with reverb/delay.
“City Moon” by Love Spirals Downwards
Perhaps the most ethereal/dream-like song on this list, “City Moon” creates an atmosphere reminiscent of an otherworldly, mysterious city. The lyrics “And yellow time is overhead / Unchanging things imprinted / Can it all be clear?” represent a melancholic longing for the past. The “city moon” is the only constant figure in these twisted times. The imagery and the soft vocals create the collective sadness shoegaze embodies. The track uses multiple techniques in its production to pull from a variety of genres, such as trip-hop, dream-pop (a form of alternative rock that combines rock music with elements of synths and reverberated guitars), and shoegaze. The drums, guitar, and bass are all synthesized and reverbed, and they almost drown out the already soft and airy vocals. I strongly suggest listening to this song on a late night drive — you will feel like you’re in a David Lynch film.
