Forgotten treasures of the shoegaze/dreampop genre and closely related styles (influenced by the time in which they were released) Most bands are pretty much forgotten with less than 200 monthly listeners on Spotify, despite excellent songs. (The Songs mentioned below are my favourites from them).
Feat. bands so far:
• Artist name: Tse Tse Fly
Country: Leeds, UK
Latest release (Spotify): Mudflat Joey (1994)
Highlight song: Itchy (1994)
Info: From 1988 to 1994, three founding members later joined The Wedding Present. u/weddingpresent
• Artist name: Morellas Forest 1988
Country: California, US
Latest release (Spotify): Tales (1988)
Highlight song: Cherry Tree Prairie
Info: Recorded by a pair of 16-and-18-year-old brothers
• Artist name: Strata Florida
Country: Wales, UK
Latest release (Spotify): Made of Stars (2014)
Highlight song: Monster (2014)
Info: Formed in 2012 by Louise Trehy, known in the early 90s as one half of the fantastic band Swallow @swallow_theband
• Artist name: LOCO-HOLIDAYS
Country: Japan
Latest release (Spotify): Screw (1992)
Highlight song: The Fountain (1992)
Info: one of the first shoegaze bands from Japan
• Artist name: For Those Who Know
Country: Austin, Texas
Latest release (Spotify): Pop Sickle (2011)
Highlight song: Wimbledon (2011)
Info: Formed in 2003; besides „Pop Sickle“, the debut from 2006 is also legendary
• Artist name: Believo!
Country: Belgium
Latest release (Spotify): Hard To Find (2012)
Highlight song: It’s Now (2012)
Info: Formed in 2003
• Artist name: Decahedron
Country: Washington D.C., US
Latest release (Spotify): Disconnection_imminent (2004)
Highlight song: Landscapes (2002)
Info: Formed in 2001, emerged from DC punk band Frodus
• Artist name: Mindscape
Country: Stockholm, Sweden
Latest release (Spotify): Bring You Down (1992)
Highlight song: Blueprint (1992)
Info: Formed in 1992; in 1993 it was all over. Nice to hear the influences of the time (roaring guitars and Madchester dance music beats)
• Artist name: Lenola
Country: New Jersey, US
Latest release (Spotify): Sharks & Flames (2003)
Highlight song: Shared a Route (1996)
Info: Formed in 1994
• Artist name: We Need Secrets
Country: Nova Scotia, Halifax (Cn)
Highlight song: How you remember (2013)
Info: Solo project of Kestrels’ Chad Peck
• Artist name: A Shrine
Country: Sweden
Highlight song: Foursome (1994)
• Artist name: Soðin Fiðla
Country: Iceland
Highlight song: Fyrirmind (1997)
• Artist name: clear horizon
Country: Ohio, US (2003)
Highlight song: Open Road (2003)
• Artist name: You Walk Through Walls
Country: Sussex, UK
Highlight song: Burning Inside (2014)
Info: Matt Bartram and James Harrison are both in successful Brighton band Air Formation This album was created after the (temporary) split in 2011
• Artist name: Monsterland
Country: Connecticut, US
Highlight song: Rid Of You (1993)
• Artist name: Lavender Faction
Country: Durham, UK
Highlight song: Ride (1990)
• Artist name: Mollycuddle
Country: Minnesota, US
Highlight song: king me (1998)
nfo: Active from 1994 to 2000. Irresistibly listenable candy-glazed voice.
• Artist name: suā
Country: New York, US
Highlight song: All You Have (2013)
Artist name: Old Magic Pellas
Country: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Latest release (Spotify): Pull My Daisy (1995, remastered 2024)
Highlight song: Stargazer (1995)
Info: Formed in the mid 90's. Nice that this treasure has been polished up!
Artist name: The Great Wilderness
Country: Costa Rica
Latest release (Spotify): In The Hour Of The Wolf (2013)
Highlight song: Nicholas Cage (2013)
Info: Still playing live, sometimes...
Artist name: Astreal
Country: Singapore
Highlight song: Wallflower (2006)
Info: Formed in 1992
Artist name: The Caulfield Sisters
Country: Brooklyn, NY
Highlight song: Box of Glass (2013)
Info: Formed in 2000.
Artist name: Colfax Abbey
Country: Minneapolis, MN
Highlight song: Chameleon (1996)
Info: Mid '90's indie band
Artist name: Laboratory Noise
Country: Bradford, UK
Highlight song: You Can Never Get Inside Someone Else’s Head (2006)
Info: Formed in 2005
Artist name: Study of the Lifeless
Country: US
Highlight song: Promised Land (1999)
Artist name: Moral Mazes
Country: US
Highlight song: Gold Beach Fortress
Artist name: The Crash That Took Me
Country: Dallas, US
Highlight song: Deeper Than The Sun’s Pulse (2007)
All songs can be found in one playlist! (The playlist will be updated in the coming weeks with further forgotten bands and great songs. So stay tuned...)
🔥P**laylistcover: OLD MAGIC PALLAS **(Brazil) (just remastered their brilliant album „Pull My Daisy“ from 1995)
Link to the playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ovQMkvtun2jVbmJ1Yjpnc?si=500231d744c940ad
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Here's some forgotten bands I love:
Anilore
An April March
Bleach UK
Springhouse
Majesty Crush
The Autumns
Juned
Difference Engine
Blind Mr Jones
Riverside
Majesty Crush just got a very nice, career-encapsulating compilation from Numero Group: https://majestycrush.bandcamp.com/album/butterflies-dont-go-away
Hey, thank you!
Anilore: They have just released something new with ‘Lia Fail’, which I therefore have on another playlist with new shoegaze from New York. Absolutely great!
An April March: Yes, a bit forgotten, but compared to the previous bands on the playlist not quite yet, because they still have 9,000 monthly listeners on Spotify..., so: maybe for later.
Bleach UK: There are unfortunately so many ‘Bleach’ bands.... and some of them are great currently and in the past. Which ones do you mean exactly? Do you perhaps have a link?
Springhouse: Unfortunately not on Spotify...
Majestry Crush: A fantastic band, which is still loved by more than 25,000 listeners every month. And rightly so!
The Autumns: It's a shame that they were underestimated. Music that opens the heart. Totally empathetic, I think. They still have 2,300 monthly listeners. (The playlist contains bands with less than 200 monthly listeners, so maybe next time).
Juned: Ha!!! Such a great band with such great female voices. They'll be in the next update, my favourite song is ‘Kyuss’ from ‘Every night for you’ (2005?), but you could just as well take almost anything from the debut ‘Juned’ from 1994. A fantastic female band. It's a shame, too.
Difference Engine: I had already saved the song ‘5 listens’ for one of the next playlist updates.
Blind Mr. Jones: Fantastic, but still too "famous"... (16,000 monthly listeners)
Riverside: That's the late 80s, early 90s sound that I really love. Were there any other releases anywhere after the album ‘One’? In any case, it's a dream.
Thank you for your recommendations! They are all great bands! Best, Thomas
Bleach : to identify them, look for the album Killing Time, I love the song called "Push" on that album. The album has its moments but their best songs tho, are collected on the collection named Bleach ( yup Bleach - Bleach ) that gathers their 3 eps. Here's a discogs link https://www.discogs.com/master/148202-Bleach-Bleach
Unfortunately, and as suspected, not on Spotify. Thanks for the link!
Thanks for this.
Auburn Lull - Alone i Admire 1999 - my recollections are a bit blurry, if i remember correctly this masterpiece originally came out on a lame format like cd-r or maybe the sound mix was bad ... but it was reissued a few years later and the reissue sounds awesome. I have my copy at my parents, I'll be able to check on Sunday. In any case it's a of my two fav genres of the 90s, shoegaze + ambient.
Difference Engine - vocals are a bit too bright and recognizable but their record is insanely good
I have many more but right now I am trying to think about this incredible band that I could never find back when I was buying lots of shoegaze...
not sure bout Alone I Admire being on a CD-r, but I recall downloading a copy way back when and it was apparent the ripper had a scuff on their disc for like the whole album. Darla reissuing it at least made a cleaner version readily available.
I think Auburn Lull may be recording some new music, but it's been off and on for a few years.
Yeah, I was thinking cdr because it's the format that I hate the most, but thinking about it, cdrs became a thing a little bit later like early to mid 00s and the Darla reissue that I own must have been 1999/00 max ... I think the ripper didn't have a scuff but it was how shitty it sounded originally !
Hey, Auburn Lull are great, "Desert" is my favourite; "Blur My Thoughts Again" the "hit" on Spotify with more than 150,000 plays. Kind of "space shoegaze".... Best, Thomas
I just noticed Difference Engine were already posted
Band Of Susans
Airiel
Depreciation Guild
Fleeting Joys
Lowtide
Bailter Space
Spirit of the Beehive
Cheatahs
Love that you included Lenola from Philadelphia/NJ. After Lenola some moved on to form: Like a Fox.
Both include Jay Laughlin on lead/voice from HxC/metal fame lol talented mofo
Turning Pointttttt
A person who knows
"Carry it on" from Like a Fox could be part of one of the next updates. Beautiful album from 2008.
saved thank you
Ive only looked deeply the last few years at shoegaze Started with Japanese shoegaze playlists that used liminal space that drew me in. that led to Europe. So a few I found that stand out. Some may be more dream pop but who's to say.
Starhorse- slower now. from Sweden
Seasurfer - fireworks. From Germany
Ariel - in your room. Chicago
Fleeting joys- kiss a girl in black. California
Pinkshinyultrablast umi, the cherry pit. Russia
Almost forgot... Ozean- fall. California. Probably more dream pop but so beautiful
ALL GREAT...., but all too "famous" for "lost shoegaze"....
Thanks I don't really know who's famous or not I just never heard anyone mention these, and I love them so I mentioned them. XD
Blows my mind that Morella's Forest (not the 1988 one) didn't get big
Sweet Jesus short tenure of singles, Your Baby Loves Me, Phonefreak Honey.. no album before they dissolved and I feel like they're often overlooked
Also Sweet Bulbs from 2010s is sadly hard to find online, one of the best of that shoe gaze revival
Edit- great list in your post, op!
Yes, Sweet Bulbs are virtually impossible to find...
Spotify has 2 more songs by Sweet Jesus, ‘Honey Loving Honey’ and the absolutely marvellous ‘Albino Ballerina’, which will be included in one of the next playlist updates...
I love all these obscure lesser known bands.
Check out The Werefrogs too for forgotten shoegaze
Yes, they are great. "Don't slip away" is my favourite and also be part of one of the next updates for this playlist.
Caulfield Sisters! Box of Glass lives in my head ( this too shall pass…). I have the EP still with this on it (Say It With Fire -2006). Some greats that I still remember, quite a few I don’t! Great playlist as always!
Right now I’m in love with Should’s version of Own Two Feet.
Check out Dream Yourself Awake by Vaportrail. Dream pop/shoegaze from San Francisco late 90s early 2000s. Lead singer had a solo project, Halcyonh High, which is also excellent. To be Infinite is amazing.
Hey, thanks for this recommendation. One song will be added within one of the next updates.
I'd like to add 'secret shine' especially their album 'untouched' from 1993. such a great band!
Hell yeah, a great band, but for this playlist still too "famous".... more than 8,000 monthy listener on Spotify...
oh it's great that they're getting famous! the last time I checked them on spotify, they had 2000 listeners :)
I saw Lenola back when I lived in Philly! Thanks for reviving that memory.
Nobody has mentioned Mock yet: https://youtu.be/JVdkWFLppCE?si=dY2DikvSjinBcDY1
The Lost Patrol
Lilies- South Pacific- Shoreline Dream- early Smashing Orange- Rollerskate Skinny
I like: Closedown, The Ropers, Nyack, Mazinga Phaser, The Rosemarys
Daisy Hill Puppy Farm, Icelandic shoegaze from the late 80s/early 90s. Their stuff is hard to find, and their cover of Blondie's "Heart of Glass" is so good!
Thank you. Top post, top comments.