shoegaze
These are the best shoegaze artists featured on Release Wave.

SOM
Dark, heavy, and thoughtful, SOM craft songs of epic melancholy. Featuring members of Caspian, founding members of seminal Boston space rock outfit Constants, as well as Denver post-metal voyagers Adai, and former members of Caspian and Junius, SOM build thunderous rhythms that give drive and pulse to the fuzzed-out wall-of-synth-and-guitar- noise, complemented by memorable hooks and melodies in singer/guitarist Will Benoit’s somber, lamenting vocals. The band is known for seamlessly combining elements of shoegaze, post-metal, doom, and dream pop and are signed to Pelagic Records. They have released 2 full length LPs and are gearing up for the release of their 3rd LP "Let The Light In" due spring of 2025. RIYL: Deftones, Holy Fawn, Astronoid, Spotlights, Mew
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Glare
Glare is an American shoegaze band from the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, founded in 2017 inspired by 90s shoegaze and alt-rock greats like Slowdive, Drop Nineteens and Smashing Pumpkins. In 2017, they released their debut songs "Into Me" and "Blank" followed by the "Void In Blue" and "Do Not Enter" singles in 2018. In 2021, they released their debut EP Heavenly via Sunday Drive Records. Their long awaited debut LP will see release in spring of 2025 and will feature previously released single Mourning Haze and newly released single Guts. RIYL: Trauma Ray, DIIV, Whirr, Fake Eyes and all things dreampop/shoegaze.

Cigarettes For Breakfast
Cigarettes for Breakfast, a Philadelphia-based band, crafts lush soundscapes reminiscent of shoegaze and dream pop icons like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. Led by Matt Whiteford, the band has garnered attention in the DIY music scene and shared stages with acts like Slow Crush and The Asteroid No. 4. Their debut album "Join the Circus" delves into themes of love and self-discovery, with a second album titled "Slow Motion" slated for release in February 2025.

Fake Eyes
The alternative rock band Fake Eyes, from North Carolina, combines shoegaze, grunge, brit pop, and emo influences in their music. Fans of Trauma Ray, Narrow Head, and Broken Head will enjoy their sound, as the band pulls from similar 90s influences like Hum, Sunny Day Real Estate and The Smashing Pumpkins. They have an EP out on New Morality Zine and plan to release their debut LP on Sunday Drive Records in fall 2024.
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Gloam
Perth/Boorloo post-shoegaze outfit Gloam offer up dreamy shoegaze tinged alternative rock and metal. Formed in early 2022, Gloam are a four-piece that have already carved a name for themselves in their corner of the world. Rowan Hardy takes on vocal duties and guitar while Oli Booth joins as lead guitarist, George Blacklock on drums and Oakie Diggins on bass. Drawing inspiration from iconic shoegaze acts to the likes Diiv, Deafheaven, Nothing, Slowdive, and Whirr, along with heavier alt metal bands like Deftones, Gloam take listeners on an immersive, genre-defying journey. Their swirling shoegaze style has proven to appeal to a diverse range of fans, resonating with followers of alternative, indie, hardcore, and metal music.
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Horse Jumper of Love

Death By Gong
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Heaven
Heaven is a New York City-based band formed in 2010 by Mikey Jones (drums), who played with the Big Sleep and Swervedriver, and Matt Sumrow (vocals/guitars) of Dean & Britta and the Comas. After a stint playing in Adam Franklin's backing band, Bolts of Love, the pair came together, along with Fan-Tan's Ryan Lee Dunlap (keyboards), to create a drifting and dense sound that falls somewhere between the worlds of melodic dream pop and shoegaze. Heaven debuted their psychedelic blend in 2013 with their first full-length, Telepathic Love, released on Goodnight Records followed by "All Love is Blue" in 2018. The band will return with their 3rd LP and 1st in over 7 years in April of 2024. RIYL: Swervedriver, The Lemondheads, Teenage Fanclub

Kestrels
Kestrels are a dreamy and jangly noise-pop band from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada incorporating elements of classic 90s shoegaze, dreampop, and jangly indie rock/pop with big melodies and hooks.

Leaving Time
Formed in Jacksonville, FL in 2020 while members Joel Cedeno, Nick Dilts, Jarod Whalen, and Reed Cothren previously & simultaneously played in bands True Form, Method of Doubt, and more—Leaving Time sonically stands out from the aforementioned. Taking inspiration from the notable '90s alternative-rock and shoegaze sound, Leaving Time adds much of their own to the sound. Subtle nuances like the whirling guitar leads and hardcore-inspired drums give each song a driving punch, taking the singular "shoegaze" descriptor out of the picture. On EP II, the band again connected with Gainesville producer, John Howard to write some of their best songs to date. Pushing the sound heard on their S/T, EP II finds the band coming to form. The band is signed to Sunday Drive Records and is gearing up to release their debut LP in November of 2024.

Photocopy
Oklahoma City’s Photocopy play the kind of buzzing feedback-laden alternative rock sound that fit right in with the whole 90s shoegaze /emo / alt-rock genre blending revival. Their debut LP is coming out in October 2024.

Julie
Julie is a band from Los Angeles signed to Atlantic Records. Their sound is reminiscent of artists in shoegaze, grunge, and 90's rock.

Outlander
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Bedridden
Bedridden is a sludgy shoegaze band based in Brooklyn led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Jack Riley who draw inspiration from the loud and fuzzed out alternative guitar rock of the 90s. Bedridden began in New Orleans when Riley was in college, where he enlisted bassist Sebastian Duzian and drummer Nicholas Pedroza to form a live band. The initial lineup shared their debut EP, Amateur Heartthrob in 2023, which includes fan-favorite songs like “Clara’s Mouth” and “Soft Soap.” Now a Brooklyn-based project, the trio recently added guitarist Wesley Wolffe to the mix and are gearing up for the release of their debut LP via Julia's War Recordings, for fans of Narrow Head, Hum, Smashing Pumpkins

Gleemer
Fort Collins, CO based band Gleemer mixes indie / alt rock with dream pop, shoegaze and a splash of emo. The band is heavily influenced by the melodic guitar rock sounds from the 90s and is centered around Corey Coffman's layered and fuzzy guitar tones and melancholy vocal delivery. The band has released 4 full length LP's and 2 EPs, all of which are consistent while offering something new to their sound. The band is signed to Other People Records and are now gearing up to release their 5th LP in December 2024. Fans of Balance and Composure, Death Cab for Cutie, DIIV, Cloakroom and newer bands like Downward and Glare will enjoy Gleemer.
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Trauma Ray
The band Trauma Ray from Fort Worth has made waves in the shoegaze scene with their intense and expressive music. The band will be releasing their debut full length album, "Chameleon," showcasing their three-guitar attack and stormy fusion of influences, appealing to fans of Nothing, DIIV, Glare, and the shoegaze revival genre.
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High
Around the tucked-away town of Boonton, NJ in 2021, Christian Castan (vocals/ guitar), Bridget Bakie (bass/vocals), Jack Miller (drums), and Danny Zavala (guitar) formed High, a band that combines elements of shoegaze, grunge, emo and dream pop. Creative nucleus Christian Castan and Bridget Bakie met while playing the DIY and college circuit around New Jersey building Bakie’s reputation as “The Queen of The Quarter Note,” and Castan’s profile as an unforgettable guitarist. After playing in a band together, the two longed for a project that would be their sole creative focus and could tour as far and wide as possible. A few weeks and two practices after their formation, the band began playing shows around the tristate DIY circuit after their proper NYC debut at Saint Vitus. The band is gearing up to release their sophomore EP "Come Back Down" in January of 2025 which will include their debut EP Bomber on the B-side.

A Place To Bury Strangers
A Place to Bury Strangers is a Brooklyn, New York based noise rock and shoegaze band that formed in 2002. The trio is currently composed of Oliver Ackermann (guitar/vocals, bass), John Fedowitz (bass guitar) and Sandra Fedowitz (drums). Commonly known by the initials APTBS, the band plays a heavy, atmospheric Wall of Sound–influenced blend of noise rock, shoegaze and space rock.The band is also known for the loudness of their intense live shows. A Place to Bury Strangers are commonly referred to by music writers as the "loudest band in New York", a reputation the band developed even before the release of their first album. They currently have six studio albums and are gearing up to release their seventh album in October of 2024.

Cold Gawd
Cold Gawd is a post-hardcore/shoegaze outfit from Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Inspired by early aughts nu-gaze and R&B melodies, Cold Gawd presents a refined, modernized take on the genre.