Have you ever been caught in a daydream? Lost in a sound so hypnotic, so ethereal that it feels like you’re floating, to only then be hit with a wall of sound so thick it feels like you’re being crushed? If so, odds are you’ve stumbled upon the world of shoegazing, where loud is the default, where reverb, delay, fuzz and distortion are essential ingredients,  where buried vocals are a feature, not a bug. The fact that you’ve ended up here means you must’ve liked what you heard, so let’s explore further. 

Shoegaze, initially termed Shoegazing and occasionally used interchangeably with “dream pop”, stands as a subset of alternative rock, distinguished by its celestial blend of veiled vocals, guitar dissonance and effects, feedback, and intense volume.The first wave of Shoegaze came to prominence in the early 90s with bands like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Lush leading the way in popularity, but let’s rewind things back a few years.  

From the 1960s to the late 1980s, all the puzzle pieces were being set into place by a rather diverse mix of genre influences (Post Punk, Dreampop, Noise Rock/Pop, Garage Rock, Janglepop, Goth and Psychadelia). Emerging out of Ireland and the United Kingdom, Shoegazings stylistic origins can be traced back to 60s Psych Rock, borrowing from its atmospheric and often surreal soundscapes. Moreover, the UK and American post-punk and noise rock scenes of the 1980s, particularly the sounds of bands like Cocteau Twins, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth, also played a pivotal role in shaping the shoegaze sound, contributing to its characteristics of noise, distortion and its ethereal qualities​.These bands are often considered Protogaze (Bands that featured elements of the Shoegaze sound in the early to late 80s.). 

List of notable Protogaze bands:

AR Kane

Album To Check Out

The Complete Singles Collection (2012)

• AR Kane
• Cocteau Twins
• Dinosaur Jr
• Hüsker Dü
• The Jesus and Mary Chain
• Kitchens of Distinction
• Loop
• My Bloody Valentine
• Sonic Youth
• Spacemen 3
• The Cure
• The Psychedelic Furs
• The Telescopes