In music there are so many genres and sub-genres you’ve never explored before. So you may ask yourself what is shoegaze? Shoegaze is a sub-genre of indie and alternative rock music. The name shoegaze was given to this genre because of the heavy use of effect pedals resulting in the performers often gazing down at the pedals they were using. The term was originally intended to be an insult to the performers stage presence for staring down at their shoes and pedal board instead of the show.
Shoegaze is heavy and distorted music with an ethereal feel. The music is categorized by distorted guitars which is the main focus point, booming drums, and most times deep moody lyrics. It is a mix of the genre’s dream pop and noise rock.
One shoegaze fan Haylee Lee shares why she loves the genre, “My favorite part of the genre is how most of the time the lyrics have a deep meaning behind them and are sometimes deemed poetic,” Lee states.
Shoegaze first rose to the scene in the late 80’s in the United Kingdom. With bands like “My Bloody Valentine” from Ireland and “Slowdive.” The influence for shoegaze came from many guitar-focused bands. “My Bloody Valentine” got a lot of inspiration from bands like “Sonic Youth.”
Justin Casados says “Not only is the genre name fun but I love to explain the meaning behind it to people. I will forever be grateful for bands like ‘My Bloody Valentine’ for shaping this genre and bringing it to the scene,” Casados states, expressing his love for the genre.
In the early to mid 90’s is when shoegaze hit its peak in the music industry. However, it was short-lived due to other big genres arising from popularity at the same time such as grunge and Britpop. Shoegaze definitely isn’t a dead genre just one that has returned back to being more underground. If you explore the genre you can find countless underground shoegaze bands that deserve much more attention.
With more accessibility to music through music streaming apps bands like “My Bloody Valentine” and “Slowdive” have begun to regain popularity bringing more attention to shoegaze itself. Many indie and alternative bands continue to take inspiration from shoegaze and blend it into their music in their albums.
Even though you may not know what shoegaze was until this article you’ve most likely heard music influenced by shoegaze due to their heavy influence in the music industry. As listeners rediscover and reinterpret shoegaze the genre continues to grow, evolve, and influence music. While the genre is known for musicians gazing down at their pedals, music fans surely look up to it.
