Shoegaze

Shoegaze on vinyl: walls of guitar and dream vocals

In short: Shoegaze emerged in Britain in the late eighties: bands used lots of effects pedals to build dense walls of guitar in which the vocals almost disappear. The style got its name because the musicians on stage mostly looked down at their pedals. My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Ride and Lush shaped it. The Vinyl Room currently has 30 shoegaze records.

What is shoegaze?

Loud and tender at the same time: My Bloody Valentine are represented with “Isn’t Anything” from 1988, Slowdive with “Slowdive”, Lush with “Spooky” and “Gala”, Pale Saints with “Half-Life”. The early Verve show their psychedelic side on “A Storm In Heaven”.

Since the 2010s the sound has returned – with bands such as DIIV or Deerhunter, and related textures can be heard in the expansive sound of Sigur Rós.

What to look for

Label, catalogue number and year of release help you tell nineties originals from later editions. Which edition you get is noted with each copy.

From our stock

First pressings

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→ My Bloody Valentine · Creation · Indie rock · Rock on vinyl · How to spot a first pressing · Grading explained

FAQ

What is shoegaze? Guitar rock with dense walls of effects and hazy vocals, born in Britain in the late eighties.

Where does the name come from? From the musicians who on stage mostly looked down at their effects pedals – at their shoes.

Who shaped shoegaze? Among others My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Ride and Lush.

Is there new shoegaze? Yes – for example DIIV and Deerhunter.