Shoegaze and dream pop are records you sink into rather than sing along to. Guitars smeared into walls of sound, vocals pushed back until they become another instrument, and melodies you feel more than follow. Shoegaze leans loud and blurred, dream pop leans soft and floating, and the best records sit somewhere in between.
New to it? Start with Loveless. If you want it gentler, make it Heaven or Las Vegas.
Both sounds grew out of post-punk in the 1980s. Cocteau Twins set the template on Treasure and Heaven or Las Vegas, turning Elizabeth Fraser’s voice into pure texture. In Boston, Galaxie 500 slowed everything down on Today.
Then My Bloody Valentine turned the volume up. Isn’t Anything laid the groundwork, and Loveless is still the genre’s high-water mark, built from guitars bent so far out of shape they barely sound like guitars. The British music press named the scene shoegaze after its bands’ habit of staring down at their effects pedals.
Slowdive became its other cornerstone, but by the mid-90s Britpop had pushed the sound aside. In America, Mazzy Star’s So Tonight That I Might See was keeping the dream alive.
It never really went away. Slowdive reformed, and their 2017 self-titled album sounded like they’d never left. Deerhunter’s Halcyon Digest carried the sound into a new decade. Closer to home, Perth’s own Tame Impala took it somewhere psychedelic on Lonerism. You’ll find Methyl Ethel, Underground Lovers and The Church in our Australian collection too.
Today dream pop has spread furthest of all, and some of its best records sit just off the main road. Broadcast’s Tender Buttons built it from old synths and Trish Keenan’s cool, clear voice. Warpaint made it hypnotic and bass-heavy. Galaxie 500’s slow-motion guitars still sound ahead of their time. Our shoegaze and dream pop vinyl puts them on the same shelf as Ethel Cain, Weyes Blood and Lana Del Rey, and every one is a new pressing worth getting lost in.
Want it quieter? Head to Ambient. Want it scrappier? Try Indie. Want guitars with more edge? There’s Alternative.
