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Genre

Dream Pop

Dream pop is pop music heard through frosted glass. Guitars chime and ring out in deep reverb, keyboards hang in the air, tempos stay slow or gently swaying, and voices float over the top, often more about sound and feeling than clear words. It is soft where shoegaze is loud, though the two are close cousins.

Its roots are in the UK of the early and mid 1980s, above all Cocteau Twins and the 4AD label, whose records set both the sound and the look: gauzy, romantic and a little otherworldly. In America, bands like Galaxie 500 and Mazzy Star brought a slower, hazier take, and the style ran quietly through indie music for decades.

In the 2010s it came back in a big way, with Beach House out in front, and its influence now runs through bedroom pop and plenty of mainstream indie. People love it for the reason they always have: it makes ordinary feelings sound enormous and far away.

Guide

Essential dream pop bands

  1. Cocteau Twins: Scottish trio who defined the sound: Robin Guthrie's glowing, echoing guitars and Elizabeth Fraser's soaring voice, often singing words of her own invention.

  2. This Mortal Coil: A 4AD collective led by label founder Ivo Watts-Russell, gathering the label's artists for moody covers and originals.

  3. Julee Cruise: Her records with David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti, including the sung version of the Twin Peaks theme, gave dream pop its eerie, cinematic side.

  4. Galaxie 500: Cambridge, Massachusetts trio playing slow, simple songs with huge, ringing guitar and Dean Wareham's fragile, high voice; slowcore fans claim them too.

  5. Mazzy Star: Hope Sandoval's hushed, sleepy vocals over David Roback's hazy, bluesy guitar; 'Fade into You' is famous for good reason.

  6. The Sundays: Harriet Wheeler's clear, lilting voice and bright, jangling guitars made dream pop sound sunny and very English.

  7. Luna: Dean Wareham's band after Galaxie 500: smoother and wittier, with a Velvet Underground lilt and the same unhurried glow.

  8. Broadcast: Birmingham band pairing Trish Keenan's cool, clear vocals with vintage electronics and the feel of old sixties film soundtracks.

  9. Beach House: Baltimore duo of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally, whose organ drones, chiming guitar and slow-burn builds brought dream pop back to the mainstream.

  10. Wild Nothing: Jack Tatum's project, which began as home recordings and carried eighties jangle and synth sheen into the 2010s.

  11. Cigarettes After Sex: Greg Gonzalez's band takes the style to its slowest, most intimate form: whispered vocals, soft guitar and endless reverb.

Guide

Start here

  1. Cocteau Twins, Heaven or Las Vegas (1990)

    Their most song-shaped record, and the perfect first taste of that voice.

  2. This Mortal Coil, It'll End in Tears (1984)

    Home of the 'Song to the Siren' cover sung by Elizabeth Fraser; pure late-night atmosphere.

  3. Galaxie 500, On Fire (1989)

    Slow, bare and huge-sounding; the guitar solos seem to hang in the air forever.

  4. The Sundays, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (1990)

    Bright, jangly and bittersweet: the friendliest way into the sound.

  5. Mazzy Star, So Tonight That I Might See (1993)

    Smoky, slow and hypnotic, with 'Fade into You' right up front.

  6. Broadcast, The Noise Made by People (2000)

    Retro electronics and cool melodies, like a lost sixties soundtrack beamed from the future.

  7. Beach House, Teen Dream (2010)

    Their breakthrough: big, warm, slowly swelling songs that reward headphones.

  8. Cigarettes After Sex, Cigarettes After Sex (2017)

    Hushed, slow and romantic; for many younger listeners, this is what dream pop sounds like.

Lana Del Rey

5.4M listeners
indie · female vocalists · indie pop
Cover of Once Twice Melody by Beach House

Beach House

3.7M listeners
dream pop · indie pop · indie
Album art: M83, I Wrote You a Letter

M83

3.6M listeners
electronic · shoegaze · post-rock
Cover of Nothing’s About to Happen to Me by Mitski

Mitski

3.4M listeners
indie rock · indie · indie pop
Cover of The Afterparty by Lykke Li

Lykke Li

3.3M listeners
indie pop · female vocalists · swedish
Cover of Charm by Clairo

Clairo

3.1M listeners
bedroom pop · indie pop · dream pop
Cover of Fauxllennium by TV Girl

TV Girl

3.1M listeners
indie pop · lo-fi · indie
Cover of X’s by Cigarettes After Sex

Cigarettes After Sex

3M listeners
dream pop · shoegaze · slowcore
Cover of Seasons of Your Day by Mazzy Star

Mazzy Star

2.9M listeners
dream pop · shoegaze · female vocalists
Album art: beabadoobee, Pylon

beabadoobee

2.8M listeners
indie pop · indie rock · bedroom pop
Cover of Miss Anthropocene by Grimes

Grimes

2.8M listeners
electronic · dream pop · experimental
Cover of Submarine by The Marías

The Marías

2.7M listeners
dream pop · indie pop · bedroom pop
Cover of I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY! by girl in red

girl in red

2.6M listeners
dream pop · indie pop · indie
Cover of She’s the Best by Troye Sivan

Troye Sivan

2.6M listeners
pop · indie pop · indie
Cover of Host by Cults

Cults

2.5M listeners
indie pop · lo-fi · experimental
Cover of ÁTTA by Sigur Rós

Sigur Rós

2.5M listeners
post-rock · ambient · icelandic
Cover of Milk & Kisses by Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins

2.4M listeners
dream pop · shoegaze · post-punk
Cover of WITHERED by d4vd

d4vd

2.4M listeners
pop · rnb · dream pop
Cover of Slowdive by Slowdive

Slowdive

2.4M listeners
shoegaze · dream pop · ambient
Cover of Equus Caballus by Men I Trust

Men I Trust

2.3M listeners
dream pop · indie pop · indie
Cover of Sungazer by The Temper Trap

The Temper Trap

2.1M listeners
indie · indie rock · australian

Suki Waterhouse

1.9M listeners
indie pop · my top songs · pop

Current Joys

1.9M listeners
indie · indie pop · indie rock

Strawberry Guy

1.9M listeners
dream pop · indie pop · bedroom pop

FKA twigs

1.7M listeners
trip-hop · electronic · experimental
Album art: Yo La Tengo, I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One

Yo La Tengo

1.7M listeners
indie rock · indie · alternative

Cafuné

1.6M listeners
indie pop · indie rock · dream pop

Daughter

1.6M listeners
indie · indie folk · female vocalists

Daughter

1.6M listeners
indie · indie folk · female vocalists

Magdalena Bay

1.6M listeners
synthpop · electropop · dream pop

Bat for Lashes

1.5M listeners
indie · female vocalists · alternative

Blonde Redhead

1.5M listeners
indie · indie rock · alternative

Caribou

1.4M listeners
electronic · experimental · indie

Ethel Cain

1.4M listeners
dream pop · slowcore · ambient

Wolf Alice

1.4M listeners
indie rock · indie · british

Silversun Pickups

1.3M listeners
indie rock · shoegaze · indie

Panchiko

1.3M listeners
indie rock · shoegaze · lo-fi

Crumb

1.3M listeners
dream pop · indie rock · psychedelic pop

Deerhunter

1.3M listeners
shoegaze · experimental · psychedelic

Crumb

1.3M listeners
dream pop · indie rock · psychedelic pop

Doves

1.3M listeners
indie · indie rock · britpop

SYML

1.3M listeners
indie · indie pop · dream pop

Hooverphonic

1.3M listeners
trip-hop · electronic · chillout

Grouper

1.3M listeners
ambient · drone · shoegaze

Japanese Breakfast

1.3M listeners
dream pop · indie pop · indie rock

Cuco

1.3M listeners
dream pop · experimental · indie pop

Elbow

1.3M listeners
indie · alternative · indie rock

Toro y Moi

1.3M listeners
chillwave · electronic · lo-fi

Washed Out

1.3M listeners
chillwave · electronic · lo-fi

Alvvays

1.2M listeners
dream pop · indie pop · indie

The Radio Dept.

1.2M listeners
shoegaze · indie · swedish

Dream, Ivory

1.2M listeners
dream pop · shoegaze · lo-fi

Chromatics

1.2M listeners
electronic · synthpop · post-punk

sports.

1.2M listeners
dream pop · indie · lo-fi

King Krule

1.2M listeners
indie · experimental · lo-fi

Beach Fossils

1.2M listeners
lo-fi · indie · surf rock

The Japanese House

1.1M listeners
indie pop · electronic · dream pop

SALES

1.1M listeners
lo-fi · indie pop · indie

Broadcast

1.1M listeners
electronic · indie · indie pop

First Aid Kit

1.1M listeners
folk · swedish · indie

Chezile

1.1M listeners
bedroom pop · dream pop · alt-pop

Low

1.1M listeners
slowcore · indie rock · post-rock

Royel Otis

1M listeners
indie pop · indie rock · lo-fi

Dean Blunt

1M listeners
experimental · lo-fi · avant-garde

Tennis

999K listeners
indie pop · lo-fi · indie

MØ

996K listeners
indie pop · danish · dream pop

No Vacation

990K listeners
indie pop · dream pop · indie

Spiritualized

990K listeners
space rock · shoegaze · psychedelic

Lany

954K listeners
indie pop · synthpop · pop
Album art: Slow Pulp, Melodie

Slow Pulp

953K listeners
dream pop · shoegaze · indie rock

London Grammar

950K listeners
indie pop · electronic · indie

The Antlers

945K listeners
indie · indie rock · slowcore

Shelly

929K listeners
indie pop · lo-fi · bedroom pop

Real Estate

929K listeners
lo-fi · indie · surf rock

Perfume Genius

904K listeners
singer-songwriter · ambient · experimental

Chairlift

893K listeners
electronic · indie pop · indie

Harmless

862K listeners
indie pop · shoegaze · ambient

Harmless

858K listeners
indie pop · shoegaze · ambient

Lush

854K listeners
shoegaze · dream pop · britpop

ivri

841K listeners
shoegaze · rnb · pop
Cover of A Tiny House, In Secret Speeches, Polar Equals by Sweet Trip

Sweet Trip

829K listeners
shoegaze · idm · electronic

Fog Lake

827K listeners
dream pop · lo-fi · slowcore
Album art: DIIV, ZIRP!

DIIV

819K listeners
shoegaze · dream pop · lo-fi

Soccer Mommy

816K listeners
indie pop · indie · indie rock

Mew

812K listeners
indie · indie rock · alternative

Good Morning

800K listeners
lo-fi · indie · rock

Ride

800K listeners
shoegaze · dream pop · indie

Julie

796K listeners
shoegaze · noise pop · noise rock

Wild Nothing

792K listeners
dream pop · shoegaze · indie pop

Lenka

785K listeners
female vocalists · pop · indie pop

Pity Party (Girls Club)

782K listeners
lo-fi · indie pop · bedroom pop
Cover of Lovotic by Charlotte Gainsbourg

Charlotte Gainsbourg

776K listeners
french · female vocalists · indie

Whirr

774K listeners
shoegaze · dream pop · ambient

Bedroom

767K listeners
chillwave · ambient · lo-fi

LSD and the Search for God

762K listeners
shoegaze · psychedelic · dream pop

Ari Abdul

761K listeners
pop · rock · usa
Radio

On public radio, last 30 days

Last 30 days · via public radio playlists

Public radio airplay for Dream Pop artists, last 30 days
RankAlbumSpins
1
Pylon by beabadoobee
Pylon
beabadoobee
KCRW, KEXP, KRCL, The Current, WXPN · 22 days on chart
98
2
Heaven or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins
Heaven or Las Vegas
Cocteau Twins
KCRW, KEXP, WXPN · 1 day on chart
3
3
The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We by Mitski
The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
Mitski
KEXP, KUTX, The Current · 1 day on chart
3
4
Melodie by Slow Pulp
Melodie
Slow Pulp
KEXP, KRCL, The Current · 1 day on chart
3
5
Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming by M83
Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
M83
KEXP, The Current · 1 day on chart
4
Press

Recently reviewed

Labels

Labels in this genre

Bella Union

Label
Home to Beach House, Cocteau Twins & Wild Nothing

4AD

Label
Home to Grimes, Cocteau Twins & Lush

Play It Again Sam

Label
Home to Crumb, Crumb & Lush

Audiotree Music

Label
Home to Japanese Breakfast, Cuco & No Vacation

Related genres

Bedroom PopSophisti-PopChillwaveAmbient PopShoegazeChamber PopSlowcoreLo-Fi