Shoegaze

1. 1

   The Jesus and Mary Chain: The blueprint: sweet, sixties-style pop melodies buried under shrieking feedback, a trick nearly every shoegaze band went on to borrow.

2. 2

   My Bloody Valentine: Kevin Shields worked the tremolo arm while strumming, so whole chords warp and swim; listen for how the voices melt into the guitars.

3. 3

   Slowdive: Reading band at the pretty, drifting end of the sound, who reunited nearly two decades later and made records as strong as their early ones.

4. 4

   Ride: Oxford four-piece who paired the wall of noise with busy, thrilling drumming and bright two-part harmonies with a sixties streak.

5. 5

   Lush: London band built around Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson, whose interlocking guitars and cool, close harmonies made the noise feel weightless.

6. 6

   Chapterhouse: Reading band who folded dance rhythms and a looser groove into the haze.

7. 7

   Pale Saints: Leeds band on 4AD whose songs keep changing shape, sliding from delicate, almost folky passages into squalls of distortion.

8. 8

   Swervedriver: The rock and roll end of shoegaze: Oxford band with songs about cars and open roads, big riffs and a heavier swing.

9. 9

   Catherine Wheel: Norfolk band fronted by Rob Dickinson who gave the sound a big, anthemic rock frame and long, dramatic guitar builds.

10. 10

    Hum: Illinois band who bolted huge, heavy guitar tone onto soaring melodies and lyrics full of stars and science.

11. 11

    Nothing: Philadelphia band with hardcore roots who made the genre heavier and bleaker in the 2010s and helped drive its revival.

12. 12

    DIIV: Brooklyn band whose early records were fast and chiming, and whose later ones went darker, heavier and fully shoegaze.

Last 30 days · via public radio playlists

Public radio airplay for Shoegaze artists, last 30 days

Rank	Album	Stations	Days on chart	Spins
1	Melodie Slow Pulp KCRW, KEXP, KRCL, The Current · 2 days on chart	KCRW, KEXP, KRCL, The Current	2	6 spins
2	Heaven or Las Vegas Cocteau Twins KCRW, KEXP, WXPN · 1 day on chart	KCRW, KEXP, WXPN	1	3 spins
3	Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming M83 KEXP, The Current · 1 day on chart	KEXP, The Current	1	4 spins

Related genres