In the 1980s, when the alternative rock scene was flourishing, shoegaze converged the downbeat emotion of bands like The Cure and The Smiths, psychedelic “wall of sound” pop and and the scuzzy energy of proto-grunge acts like Sonic Youth and Hüsker Dü. With an anti-rock star ethos, artists began to focus on sonic layering and a meditative use of harmonies, melodies and instrumental riffs. Shoegaze presented guitar music in ways that felt far removed from the rowdy punk rock and hardcore of the time, placing the emphasis on drawing the audience in slowly and harnessing the emotion of the performance inward, rather than with shock and awe.
Much like Britpop, the term shoegaze was coined by the British press as a wry shorthand. As bands focused on their complex live set-ups of guitar and effects pedals, players would be, quite literally, gazing at their shoes in concentration. While it may have been intended as purely wordplay ripe for headlines, the term stuck, and shoegaze became an accepted name for a scene ripe with experimentation. In its transcendential flurry of droning guitars, dreamscape-inspired melodies, ethereal vocals and waves of artfully controlled feedback, shoegaze straddles bliss and sadness with a deft touch.
In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, audiences converged around bands such as The Jesus and Mary Chain, Ride, Cocteau Twins and Slowdive as vanguards, with classic albums like ‘Psycho Candy,’ ‘Nowhere,’ ‘Heaven or Las Vegas’ and and ‘Souvlaki’ respectively. The jewel in shoegaze’s crown, however, remains My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Loveless.’ Widely regarded as one of the best British rock albums of all time, ‘Loveless’ thrust shoegaze into the international spotlight and continues to be a core reference point for myriad contemporary guitar acts today.
In 2025, shoegaze continues to evolve. In a world where anxiousness simmers just below the surface and people find comfort in pushing creative boundaries, shoegaze has captured the attention of a new generation of artists and fans alike — particularly in the US, after shoegaze grew from being an almost exclusively British scene to a global one. Bands like M83 and Autolux carried the torch in recent years, and in turn, they’ve passed it onto emerging acts like Southern California’s julie, Belgium’s Slow Crush, Texas’s Narrow Head and Brooklyn’s Momma, who infuse shoegaze with contemporary electronic, emo rock, rap vocal elements and more, pushing the sound into a new age. Some of the most exciting bands in the scene come from the US, building on the original British foundation with flair; from 1990s acts like Drop Nineteens, who are enjoying a comeback moment in 2025, to more contemporary acts like Nothing, Superheaven and DIIV, who are being celebrated for their innovation.
LISTEN TO THE SHOEGAZE PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW
To hear more, sink into this collection of tracks which capture the new wave of shoegaze, and discover more about each track below.
Drop Nineteens, “Another Summer”
Crowned “The American Slowdive” by Melody Maker magazine, Drop Nineteens shaped shoegaze in the US. This track is from their 2025 remaster package of classic tracks, ‘1991.’
Midwife, “No Depression In Heaven”
Midwife is the solo project of Denver, Colorado’s Madeline Johnston, which she’s coined “heaven metal.” This is the title track of her fourth studio album, which came out this year.
SASAMI, “Nothing But A Sad Face On”
“A mount of honey is worth the sting” sings LA-based vocalist SASAMI, on this track from her 2025 album, ‘Blood On The Silver Screen.’
Slow Crush, “Cherry”
If Deftones were a shoegaze band, they’d probably sound like Slow Crush in 2025. This track is new from the Belgian band, via Pure Noise Records.
Softcult, “Pill To Swallow”
A Canadian duo of sisters that playfully describe their work as “music for mall goths,” Softcult just dropped this brand new track.
DIIV, “Raining On Your Pillow”
Long-time proponents of shoegaze in the US, DIIV released their latest album ‘Frog In Boiled Water’ to critical acclaim in 2024.
Nothing, “Chloroform”
A standalone single from 2024, this track sees the evolving band project of vocalist-guitarist Domenic "Nicky" Palermo continue to impress contemporary shoegaze fans worldwide.
Superheaven, “The Curtain”
Blending grunge riffs with shoegaze vocals and metallic soundscapes, Superheaven are a cult back having a comeback moment. This track features on the band’s self-titled 2025 album.
Bagefter, “Anything Better”
The alternative rock-meets-shoegaze solo music project of Stepan Vokuev, Bagefter released his ‘Miracle’ album in 2025; this track opens the record.
High., “Catcher”
Hailing from New Jersey, High. fly the flag for noisy modern shoegaze. This track features on the band’s 2025 EP ‘Come Back Down.’
julie, “knob”
LA-based band julie have a knack for mixing grunge and shoegaze to mesmerising effect. This track features on their 2024 debut album, ‘my anti-aircraft friend.’
Slow Salvation, “Call A Friend”
Slow Salvation is the dream pop project composed of Travis Trevisan and Christina Hernandez. “Call A Friend” was released in 2024.
Blue Foundation, “The Fall”
Danish band Blue Foundation use twinkling electronics and cinematic influences to amplify their shoegaze sound. Their 2025 album is called ‘Close To The Knife.’
Wisp, “Get back to me”
Wisp is having a big 2025 so far. She just played Coachella and is set to tour with System Of A Down. This brand new track shows her blending shoegaze and dream pop.
Mogwai, “Hi Chaos,”
One of Scottish’s most influential modern bands, Mogwai have contributed greatly to the shoegaze sound. This track is from their 2025 album, ‘The Bad Fire.’
Estrada, “Wrong Again”
With a brooding, post-punk edge, this track shows off Estrada’s skillful reimagining of shoegaze. You can learn more about the Los Angeles artist, known for originating the sub-genre #foogaze, on this episode of Sound Advice.
Deafheaven, “Heathen”
The band who deftly reimagined black metal through a shoegaze lens, Deafheaven just released their much-anticipated new album, ‘Lonely People With Power.’
Julie, “pg.4 a picture of three hedges”
The Californian trio released this track as a single in 2022, ahead of their 2024 debut album ‘My Anti-Aircraft Friend.’
Slow Crush, “Thrill”
Led by vocalist Isa Holliday, Belgian band Slow Crush blur the lines between shoegaze, dream pop and Deftones-style rock. Check out their latest album, ‘Hush.’
Quannnic, “Comatose”
A solo project, quannnic infuses the shoegaze guitar sound with their singing, which is reminiscent of emo-rap. Their latest album is 2023’s ‘Stepdream.’
S.E. Lane, “Moving On”
Ivri, “Brianrot:
New York City’s ivri has built her niche following on SoundCloud. The inspiration for this tender love song, she says, was how “brainrot is a play on a word I learned about called heartrot; when a tree ends up rotting from the inside out.”
Trauma Ray, “Träumerei”
Taken from their 2022 EP ‘Transmissions,’ this track showcases trauma ray’s more doom-inspired style of shoegaze. Hailing from Forth Worth, Texas, the band released their 2024 debut album ‘Chameleon’ on Dais Records.Dro
Narrow Head, “Trepanation”
Another group from Texas, Narrow Head are a four-piece who lean into the post-hardcore side of shoegaze. A deluxe version of ‘Moments of Clarity’ was released in 2024.
Fleshwater, “Linda Claire”
Boston band Fleshwater crank up the doom with their heavy downbeat riffs. This track is from their 2022 album ‘We’re Not Here to Be Loved.’
Hello Mary, “Droopy Eyes”
Taken from their 2023 self-titled album, this track showcases the New York City-based trio’s alternative rock-and-shoegaze blend, drawing from bands like American Football and DIIV.
Winter, “Atonement”
Based in LA, Winter is a solo dreampop project with shoegaze influences. This collaborative track with Hatchie is taken from Winter’s 2022 album ‘What Kind of Blue Are You?.’
flying fish, “forest green”
Phoenix, Arizona-based artist flyingfish gained fans in 2023 when his fresh shoegaze tracks wove through the TikTok algorithm. This track features on his sophomore EP, ‘the way night falls.’
Momma, “Sunday”
Raised in LA and now based in Brooklyn, New York, Momma have risen in prominence in the alternative rock space with their fresh take on shoegaze. This track is from a 2023 split release with Narrow Head.
NewDad, “Let Go”
NewDad inject shoegaze with their melancholy storytelling of their native Ireland through Julie Dawson’s memorable, tender voice. “Let Go” is from their 2024 debut album ‘MADRA.’
Wednesday, “Bath Country”
On their 2023 album ‘Rat Saw God,’ the Asheville, North Carolina band pushes the boundaries between indie rock and shoegaze.
Nothing, “Blue Line Baby”
With their grungy, post-punk style, Nothing is shaping up to be a contemporary favorite for shoegaze fans. This track is from their 2018 album ‘Dance on the Blacktop.’
Knifeplay, “Deserve”
This Philadelphia-based band takes a gentle, pop-indebted approach to shoegaze. This tracks features on their 2022 album ‘Animal Drowning,’
Greet Death, “New Low”
The title track from their 2022 album, “New Low” sees the Flint, Michigan band delve deeper into shoegaze, with oh-so tender vocals and yearning riffs.
Bedlocked, “All Over Again”
Bedlocked is the solo project of J.Zach Gomez, a Texan musician and vocalist who also plays in the band Teethe.
Slowdive, “Kisses”
One of the all time great shoegaze bands, Slowdive were welcomed back into the arena with this 2024 track, which also got the remix treatment from Daniel Avery.
Estrada, “Esta Noche Que Salí”
The solo project of LA-born and raised artist Erick Estrada, which brings his Guatemalan-American heritage into shoegaze through his bilingual singing. You can discover more about Estrada on his episode of Sound Advice.
Sasami, “Callous”
This track introduced the LA-based SASAMI on the alternative rock scene. Her latest album, ‘Blood on the Silver Screen,’ is out now.
Basement, “Covet”
With their deft blend of pop-punk, post-hardcore and shoegaze, Basement have garnered a loyal following. This track features on their classic album ‘Colormeinkindness,’ which got a 10-year anniversary deluxe release in 2022.
Wednesday, “Bath Country”
As far as album openers go, this evocatively titled track frames the North Carolina band as one of shoegaze’s more provocative acts, with big riffs and groaning vocals.
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