#10 DRAAG Actually, the quiet is nice
DRAAG put their record Actually, the quiet is nice out on my birthday, and listening to it feels like a present. It’s like they sampled my favorite songs from my indie era, my shoegaze era, my dream pop era, and my alternative rock era and mixed them all into one sound. Their music makes me want to sway one minute and head bang another. It brings in an eerie levity and then hits me with a heavy riff. At times I feel like someone’s transported me into the Beatles’ 1967 acid trip and they’re all hallucinating about the future.
#9 MIDWIFE No Depression in Heaven
Depressing music that makes me feel happy! Gloomy music that makes me feel never-ending bliss! Sad music that puts a big smile on my face, which is exactly how MIDWIFE’s No Depression in Heaven makes me feel (all of the words above)! This human has manifested an album that is a sonic thunderstorm that inspires me to keep living through this crazy thing called reality. The tones that you will experience on No Depression in Heaven are otherworldly. MIDWIFE’s voice is so beautiful and powerful all I want to do is play this record on repeat! Big-time respect for Flenser for releasing this unreal album and pushing our culture forward!
#8 LEAVING Liminal
LEAVING’s new album Liminal is the perfect balance between Night and Day, Silent and Loud, Heavy and Uplifting all while being super MAJESTIC! I’m impressed at how they have combined the oppressiveness of Doom with the Blissed Out vibes of Shoegaze to create their unique sonic wall of sound. As I listen to songs like “Broken Flame,” I can’t help but remember that no matter how dark your existence becomes, the sun will rise tomorrow. LEAVING uses space and slow-moving D-Tuned movements as audio portals that will guide the listener to the happiness that is right in front of them! I would love to microdose some mushrooms and watch the band perform their title track Liminal live because I know it would be beyond uplifting! I want the band to know that we appreciate them because it’s a joy to experience Heavy Bliss created by humans living their passions!
#7 MX LONELY SPIT
Hey, have y’all heard of MX LONELY? Well if you haven’t, I’m about to tell y’all about how I feel about them! I freaking love this band and their EP Spit that’s out on Candlepin Records is beyond stellar! There is not one whack moment in this sonic affair. From the very first song, “Connection,” they draw the listener into their world where sunkissed grunge riffs are drenched in shoegaze bliss! MX LONELY looks to the past for inspiration but they also point us to the future while never sounding contrived. Their songwriting has mad amounts of depth, which makes me even more of a fan of their music! Trust me when I say this: MX LONELY is going to BLOW UP because they are that fucking awesome and they deserve it! Big tunes like “Papercuts” only prove that this band has something to say, and I’m all ears. I respect every ounce of passion that they inject into their anthems. I would love to see them live because I know they will set it off! Read Full Review
#6 BLOSSOM Florecer
One of my new favorite Shoegaze bands goes by the name of BLOSSOM. Their new album Florecer is solid AF! BLOSSOM’s music bleeds with the kind of blissed-out passion I want in a Shoegaze band! I want to say thank you to Mark my words, this band will be in full bloom this year! Read our interview with them Here.
#5 ANEMIC Bittersweet
Whatever you want to call the music Anemic makes, it’s addictively bittersweet. This record has the intoxicating lull of drone and fuzz and low-soaring tones in their vocals and riffs. This Oakland/Sacramento band has a soft, melodic sound that takes me deep into my own mind to a place of peace.
#4 WHITELANDS Night-bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day
What album pushes my reality to a state of pure radness? WHITELANDS Night-bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day is a record that totally uplifts me even as I look at our modern-day world! These humans write Sugargaze anthems that will have you soaring for daze! Imagine if the Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, Aztec Camera, and Bowery Electric formed like Voltron to form a band that outcome would sound like WHITELANDS. It’s an honor to turn y’all on to one of my new favorite shoegaze bands of 2024!
#3 SMUSH if you were here i’d be home now
I can’t stop blasting SMUSH’s new album If You Were Here I’d Be Home Now on repeat because it slaps nonstop! I’m addicted to every moment of this brand-new Shoegaze classic. Real talk, I can’t pick a favorite song because I have an ever-daze crush on the audio bliss that is SMUSH!
#2 TRAUMA RAY Chameleon
TRAUMA RAY’s Chameleon is another stand-out record from 2024 that will surely be added to our vinyl collection! After we purchase this outstanding record, I will take a mushroom pill and play it in full as my trip begins. This band has perfectly balanced the angst of Grunge and the bliss of Shoegaze to create a sound that is all of their own! I want TRAUMA RAY to know that over here at CVLT Nation we have mad love for them!
#1 COLD GAWD I’ll Drown On This Earth
COLD GAWD’s I’ll Drown On This Earth has played a big part in my 2024. While it’s their second release on Dais, it’s kind of their Dais debut. And I didn’t think anything would push God Get Me The Fuck Out of Here out of its top spot, but that’s exactly what I’ll Drown On This Earth has done.
They’re still heavy as fuck shoegaze, with ethereal melodies and dense basslines and spacious riffs and expansive fuzzy atmosphere. But this record brings more playful energy with it, with delicate breakdowns, soaring melodic rock riffs, and r&b rhythms.
It’s nearly impossible for me to pick a favorite track off this record. “Gorgeous” kicks it off, and I’ve loved this song from the first time I saw them play it live. It’s got a joyous kind of rage to it, but also a mournful gratitude. The guitar tones on “All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned For A Thing I Cannot Name” send shivers down my spine and bring tears to my eyes. I think that one might be my favorite. But then “Nudism” engulfs me in a quiet sonic reflection and wraps me up in melancholy piano and I’m lost in it. Basically this album is perfection from start to finish. Read Full Review
