shoegaze
Ethereal wall-of-sound
Shoegaze is a style of rock music characterized by heavily distorted guitars, ethereal vocals buried in the mix, and dense layers of sound.
The name comes from performers' tendency to stare at their feet—actually watching their effects pedals—rather than engaging the audience.
The genre emerged in late 1980s Britain: My Bloody Valentine basically invented shoegaze.
As a verb, to shoegaze is to perform or listen to this music.
Prolonged sound reflection
- fuzzFine downy fibers
- feedbackReturned response data
- distortionTwisting from original state
- droneUnmanned flying machine
wall of sound · lo-fi · pedals · effects · amplifiers · swirl · wash · shimmer
Non-mainstream guitar-driven genre
- dream popAtmospheric, reverb-heavy musical style
- post-punkExperimental rock after '77
- neo-psychedeliaEighties revival of hallucinogenic rock
- indie rockSelf-released alternative music genre
Vague and pleasantly distracted
- etherealDelicate beyond earthly measure
- hazyUnclear, indistinct
- gauzyThin and transparent
- floatyTending to drift upward
soft-focus · washed-out · blurry · hypnotic · atmospheric · nebulous · languid · enveloping
Influential shoegaze band
Inclined toward reflective sorrow
- introspectiveExamining one's own mind
- wistfulSadly longing for something
- nostalgicLonging for the past
- bittersweetWistful yet warm
longing · contemplative · meditative · yearning · pensive · brooding · solitude · reverie
reverb
Prolonged sound reflection
- fuzzFine downy fibers
- feedbackReturned response data
- distortionTwisting from original state
drone · wall of sound · lo-fi · pedals · effects · amplifiers · swirl · wash · shimmer · haze
alternative rock
Non-mainstream guitar-driven genre
- dream popAtmospheric, reverb-heavy musical style
- post-punkExperimental rock after '77
- neo-psychedeliaEighties revival of hallucinogenic rock
dreamy
Vague and pleasantly distracted
floaty · soft-focus · washed-out · blurry · hypnotic · atmospheric · nebulous · languid · enveloping · gossamer
My Bloody Valentine
Influential shoegaze band
melancholic
Inclined toward reflective sorrow
- introspectiveExamining one's own mind
- wistfulSadly longing for something
- nostalgicLonging for the past
bittersweet · longing · contemplative · meditative · yearning · pensive · brooding · solitude · reverie · escapism
- genresaction, comedy, detective fiction, fantasy, horror
- music genresblues, pop, jazz, rock, classical
- rock genresalternative rock, classic rock, heavy metal, hard rock, indie rock
- Alt Rockalt-rock, alternative metal, grunge, indie rock, post-grunge
- microgenresmicrogenre, subgenre, chillwave, vaporwave, synthwave
- ShoegazeMy Bloody Valentine, Lush, Loveless, reverb, wall of sound
shoegazehardcore punk
Fast aggressive rock subgenre
punk · stripped-down · crisp · dry · garage rock
shoegazepunk
Raw, fast rock genre
glam rock · arena rock · hardcore · stage diving · showmanship
shoegazehardcore punk
Fast aggressive rock subgenre
thrash · speed metal · grindcore · skate punk · Black Flag