1 minute read
A woman’s place is in shoegaze
Cocteau Twins
Scottish dream pop favourites Cocteau Twins are known for their incomprehensive lyrics and heavenly soundscapes. Elizabeth Fraser’s soprano vocal acrobatics are arguably what make the band so uniquely recognisable, swinging from deep to high, effortlessly. Fraser also contributed to several tracks on Massive Attack’s Mezzanine, wide today, from teen movie soundtracks (‘Pearly-Dewdrops’ Drops’ featuring in Perks) to modern dream pop-inspired artists such as Babeheaven. Listen to: ‘Sea, Swallow Me’
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My Bloody Valentine
It would be disrespectful to discuss shoegaze without mentioning My Bloody Valentine. Vocalist and guitarist Bilinda Butcher is one of the most prominent women in the genre and for good reason. Their 1991 release Loveless in music production today. The tracks was wonderfully covered by Japancakes in 2007 and Kenny Feinstein in 2013, though neither could possibly rival the original. Dissonant, distorted and dreamy, MBV are at the heart of shoegaze for a reason. Listen to: ‘Soon’
Lovesliescrushing
Slightly lesser known, Lovesliescrushing’s 1993 album bloweyelashwish is one of my more recent shoegaze discoveries. With fuzzy, apart from their comparison to the shoegaze classics. At times droning and at other times dreamlike, the album has become the perfect unconventional study soundtrack for rainy days. Listen to: ‘babysbreath’
Blonde Redhead
Blonde Redhead are most well-known for ‘For the Damaged Coda’, their instrumental track which gained traction on the internet after its use in Rick and Morty, but behind it lies a discography well worth exploring. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Kazu Makino incorporates shoegaze and dream pop elements with fuzzy production on tracks such as ‘23’, airy vocals and repetitive lyrics cementing the band as, at the very least, dream pop-adjacent. Listen to: ‘23’
Hatchie
A more accessible and contemporary addition to the genre, Hatchie unites indie, dream pop and shoegaze. Sonically soothing but lyrically riddled with the anxieties and uncertainties of being a young woman, lamenting “Do you even think about me?“ on ‘Sure’, her 2018 debut EP Sugar & Spice cover of The Jesus and Mary Chain and Hope Sandoval’s ‘Sometimes Always’ last year, though they never overpower her original sound. Listen to: ‘Stay With Me’
