The Nu-Gazers, Part 1: The Y2K Era of Shoegaze
Shoegaze first emerged in the early '90s. Let's look at the subsequent waves of bands that followed.
Shoegaze first emerged in the very early ’90s, defined by its swirling walls of distorted guitars, hushed vocals, and an inward-facing stage presence (the genre was named because the joke was that the musicians were staring down at their shoes). Its commercial impact was limited at best, as it was overshadowed by grunge in the US and Britpop in the UK -- but it established a fiercely loyal cult following which has kept its textures and aesthetics alive since then. Since then, subsequent generations of bands have reinterpreted the sound, blending classic influences with elements of dream pop, post-rock, electronic music, and even metal.
This will be the first in a multipart series about shoegaze bands that have been keeping the genre alive and kicking in the years since Loveless first dropped. For this article, let's start with the first wave of "nu-gaze," which appeared right before and after Y2K.
Astrobrite
Originally started in 1993 as a solo project for Scott Cortez, they (he?) released their first album Crush in 2001 and then released a whole slew of albums and EP's for about the next decade and a half afterwards. They apparently haven't released a whole lot of new material since, but they're still active and performing.
LSD and the Search for God
This band formed in the Bay Area in 2005, and they're still together to this day.
The two constant members of this band are vocalist/guitarist Andy Liszt and guitarist Chris Fifield, and singer Sophia Campbell was
also a co-founder and core member for the longest time.
That said, they've never been the most prolific band, as they've only released two EP's to date (their self-titled debut EP from 2007, and Heaven Is a Place from 2016). Yet despite such a small discography, they have a sizable cult following.
M83
No, I'm not shitting you! A decade before they became known to the wider public for their electropop anthem "Midnight City," these guys were actually very heavily influenced by shoegaze when they first started out. Hell, if My Bloody Valentine could start out as a gothic post-punk band, then is it that surprising that M83 started out as a shoegaze-influenced act?
Sciflyer
Formed in Alameda, California in 2001 and led by singer/guitarist Steve Kennedy, this band took their name from a song on Swervedriver's Raise album, and appropriately enough, they have the same blend of dreamy shoegaze and driving hard rock as the Swervies. Listen to this and you'll certainly feel like you're in a spaceship flying through the heavens.
The Stratford 4
Fun fact: according to this Rolling Stone article, the Stratford 4's songwriting is apparently on par with that of Taylor Swift! Whether that's praise or not is subjective, but what's undeniable is that this San Francisco quartet has been making tasty tunes that are equal parts shoegaze, post-punk and alt-pop since the early 2000's.
Southpacific
The line between post-rock, shoegaze and space-rock is pretty thin, and this Ottawa-based instrumental trio has been labeled with all three. Consisting of Joachim Toelke, Graeme Fleming, and Phil Stewart-Bowes, they came and went like a flash in the late '90s, leaving behind only one EP (33) and one full-length album (Constance) in their wake -- although they did finally reunite in 2020 and have since resumed performing and recording again.
Voyager One
This Seattle band was on the harder side of the shoegaze umbrella, as they were often compared to Ride, Swervedriver and Catherine Wheel. They released four full-length studio albums and five EP's and went through numerous lineup changes from their formation in 1998 to their hiatus in 2011.