Among a sea of distortions, reverbs and tremolos, the vocals in shoegaze songs are a distant lighthouse. A bittersweet enigma shrouds shoegaze songs, and nostalgia permeates every measure of the music. Made for dreamers, the genre involves heavy innovation in the vocal-instrumental relationship. Despite their quiet and dissociated vocals, shoegaze songs evoke an intimate atmosphere through their vulnerable lyrics and deeply emotional instrumentals. Though the genre itself is vague, its impact on listeners is concrete.
Shoegaze music is most immediately recognizable by the textures of its guitars and vocals. Artists superimpose separate guitar melodies over one another and detach vocals from instrumentals. Shoegaze songs often use a mixing strategy that nestles vocals deep within a track to prevent them from surpassing instrumentals. Contrary to most songs, which amplify vocals, shoegaze songs feature vocals and instrumentals in nearly equal parts. Their vocals are often soft and wavering while their instrumentals are powerful and all-consuming. The British magazine New Musical Express named the genre ironically after musicians’ frequent habit of looking at their feet to engage the large quantity of pedals required for shoegaze’s distinctive hazy sound.
Life on Venus
Shoegaze lyrics are profusely poetic, immersing listeners in long spiritual journeys. They are so personal that listeners feel as if they are going through someone’s diary or experiencing a fragment of time through an undefined narrator. A strong example of the shoegaze genre’s narrative thoughtfulness is Life on Venus’ “For the Kill.” Life on Venus, a band that hails from Moscow, Russia, is new to the shoegaze scene. The pace of “For the Kill” is akin to a racing heartbeat, each drumbeat and guitar riff echoing the lyrics’ uncertainty: “As I surrender / To the cold of morning mist / I feel endangered / But I don’t think I’ll resist.”
As the song breaks into the chorus, a slower, relieving pace overwhelms the listener, creating a sensation as euphoric as a runner’s high: “ Cause tonight / I’ll go for the kill / To find what’s real / I promise I will / I will fight / To know what is right / And if I still feel / I promise I will.” The song constructs a narrative of escape to an unknown destination, each stanza introducing a plot point that propels the story forward. However, despite the song’s dark undertone, the chorus laces despair with hope. Although the verses express the narrator’s confusion and conflict, they also advance a goal that the narrator must accomplish in the face of adversity. The song is a larger testament to the tenacity people demonstrate in unfamiliar situations.
Softcult
Another modern shoegaze band, Softcult, primarily performs grunge music. Softcult’s song “House of Mirrors” focuses on the narrator’s failure to live up to personal and external expectations. In particular, the lyrics echo the dejection of a burnt-out student: “Brain dead / Spend all my time sedated / Hey Mom and Dad, I made it / Graduated from the A-list to the basement.” As the song progresses, the narrator’s depression becomes more apparent. Brimming with discontent, the lyrics mull over the narrator’s lost potential: “Spend all my time debating / Like a worm when the rain ends / Trying to make it off the pavement / Where the grass is / ‘Cause everything is greener in my head / I guess that’s why I feel so disappointed / And I don’t wanna deal with the consequence / Does it matter in the end?”
My Bloody Valentine
Life on Venus, Softcult and other up-and-coming shoegaze bands derive inspiration from the British shoegaze artists of the ’80s and ’90s. Bands such as My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive were pivotal to the development of shoegaze as not only a distinct sound but a widely recognized genre. My Bloody Valentine, a group that hails from Ireland, formed in 1983.
The band’s most popular song, “Only Shallow,” has lyrics that mimic a train of thought rather than a tangible narrative. The lyrics and clash of hard instrumentals against soft vocals create a metaphysical experience for the listener. The song encapsulates the pleasure and detachment that surrounds intimacy: “Sleep as a pillow, comfort there / Where she won’t dare, anywhere / Look in the mirror, she’s not there / Where she won’t care, somewhere.” Eventually, the song fades into a flurry of static instrumentals, which further contributes to its bizarre ambiance. In general, My Bloody Valentine’s songs aim to depict broad emotions rather than specific narratives.
Slowdive
Another band that was paramount to the evolution of shoegaze is Slowdive, an English band formed in 1989. Creation Records released the band’s most prominent album, “Souvlaki,” in 1993. In a 2023 interview, bassist Nick Chaplain stated that the most successful part of the band’s artistry was its songwriting. He argued that a song without quality lyrics is essentially no good — even if it has catchy instrumentals. Slowdive’s lyrical craft is evident in the band’s song “When the Sun Hits.” The lyrics underscore the narrator’s fear of eventually falling out of love: “As the sun hits, she’ll be waiting / With her cool things and her heaven / Hey, hey lover, you’re still burning / You’re his song, yeah.”
Overall, the shoegaze genre is melancholic and reflective. Shoegaze songs express emotions and experiences in a psychedelic, haunting manner that lingers with listeners. At its core, shoegaze embodies both a philosophy of self-discovery and a deep desire to cope with grief. Listeners can build a level of trust in shoegaze songs, which allow people to let go of their current states of mind and succumb to the story or emotion that each lyric conveys. The genre enables listeners to explore shards of their pasts and anticipate glimpses of their futures all at once — it cultivates solace like no other.
