A Good Week For Shoegazers
New music from Swervedriver, Lush's Miki Berenyi, and Drop Nineteens
Tomorrow (January 17th) looks like a promising day for new releases — I’m particularly excited about the new one from Prism Shores — but I’ll need the weekend to develop some deeper thoughts. Expect something early next week on the highlights.
Consider this a little bonus post. I just wanted to pull together three new tracks that landed this week from, well, let’s call them senior members of the shoegaze establishment.
More Shoegaze
SWERVEDRIVER - “Volume Control”
New music from Swervedriver is always an event. I have loved this band since my old housemate at university played Raise and Mezcal Head on an endless loop from 2003 until mid-2005. I’m not even exaggerating. I regard the Swervies as a top-tier shoegaze act, up there with Slowdive, Ride, and My Bloody Valentine. The World’s Fair EP is their first new release since 2019’s Future Ruins, and if “Volume Control” is anything to go by it sounds like a return to the sonic territory of 1995’s Ejector Seat Reservation. The EP is out on March 7th. I will report back closer to the time.
MIKI BERENYI TRIO - “8th Deadly Sin”
Former Lush singer/guitarist Miki Berenyi is back with a new project, featuring her partner, the former Moose singer/guitarist K.J. "Moose" McKillop, and bassist Oliver Cherer. The trio operates at the intersection of dream-pop, shoegaze, and the poppier end of dance music. “8th Deadly Sin” and “Vertigo” both suggest the upcoming album Tripla will be rather special. Expect that on April 4th via Bella Union.
DROP NINETEENS - “Daymom”
Boston’s Drop Nineteens must be the most underrated band of the original shoegaze era. They released two phenomenal records in the early nineties before disappearing for 28 years, only to return with the exceptional 2023 comeback Hard Light. Their upcoming release 1991 is a “lost” record from — you guessed it — 1991. It consists of early demo tracks, which were shelved in favour of newer material that ultimately became Delaware. Only three songs are currently available, but they capture a young band at their creative peak. This promises to be a worthy addition to the impressively consistent Drop Nineteens discography.