I take it that at least some of you like this genre, since I always see some stuff belonging to these genres spread here and there... So why not create a topic for it?

Shoegaze comes from rock however it's more based on its hypnotic melodies and often abandoning the "heavyness" that defines rock itself. Dreampop comes from pop but it's more based on its soft and hypnotic melodies and often leaves the "easy listening" characteristic that defines pop, so they are essentially the same thing? o.o

Anyway discuss stuff and post recommendations that you think are good. At least I am gonna listen to them =P

Cocteau Twins for life.



I don't think dream pop really comes from pop, historically. Not the chart-topping "pop" of the late 80s and early 90s, anyway. If you look at the early bands, Cocteau Twins has roots in gothic rock and post-punk, whereas Galaxie 500 is like a hazy, slowed-down version of jangle pop and alt rock (at least I can hear The Velvet Underground and maybe stuff like The Stone Roses or The Smiths).

As for the relationship of the two genres, there's obviously a lot of overlap, but I'd say that usually shoegaze could be considered a sub-type of dream pop. MBV and Slowdive are no doubt also dream pop, all the while being paradigmatic of shoegaze. Add a wall of guitar reverb to a dream pop song and it becomes shoegaze, basically. Not all shoegaze is necessarily dream pop (especially if it leans towards noise rock, something like The Jesus and Mary Chain), but it seems to be true for most of the early stuff.

I have a shoegaze/dream pop/slowcore playlist on Spotify that I might post when I get to my other PC.

^ That song? So it seems goreshit is speeding up other bands' stuff and calling it a song by theirs? =P

Anyway, I sort of agree. the term "pop" on dreampop seems a bit out of place. I always don't know whether a band plays one or another on those genres too... You see a band labeled shoegaze somewhere and then it's labeled as dreampop on other and it happens quite frequently.

I guess you could call it pop in the sense that it isn't rock, either. But it probably evolved more from alternative forms of rock by mellowing down, rather than taking influences from outright pop artists of their time. (Not that the rock-pop dichotomy is always meaningful.)

I don't know the origin of that Goreshit track, but I would imagine the original context says it's a remix? Maybe not.

This is pretty rad

I'd say Dream Pop is "pop" (it's soft alternative rock rather than chart pop) with a focus on atmosphere,while shoegaze is noise rock mixed with dream pop, so basically a heavier, nosier, rockier version of dream pop, or alternatively, noise rock's pretty cousin. The terms are often used interchangeably anyway, so whatever. I wouldn't say shoegaze abandons the heaviness of rock though, sure most of it lacks the edge more classic forms of rock have with less focus on riffs and whatnot (leading it to be one of the predecessors of post-rock), but it's often heavily distorted and very loud live, and some of it is quite heavy. Anyway, I love both genres a lot, especially when they are fused with other genres.

I'm gonna post some shoegaze/shoegaze fusions, some classics, some not, but all favorites of mine. If it's too much of a dump I'll condense it. I'll at least spare you by not posting any blackgaze this time.



(Not sure if there is any actual shoegaze influence in that song, but it uses the same wall of sound texture)







(Not sure if this one has any connection to shoegaze either, but it's got atmospheric parts that remind me of shoegaze)

One last thing, I did the horrible vocals on this shoegazing song my brother made.


Okay, I done. Shoegasm over.

Both genre, love this so much...

I have been reshuffling my playlists, so this is still a work-in-progress that's probably both missing something that used to be there and may contain tracks that should be in some other list, but anyway here's my Spotify alt-rock/shoegaze/dream pop playlist (and by alt-rock I mean the Smashing Pumpkins and Hum kind of 90s fuzz):
https://open.spotify.com/user/ironangel/playlist/5pcl7bpsMgKcBoXhrzYDXj

Nothing is a pretty exciting new act:





Would you believe that they're on Relapse Records?

I like this band, is it considered Shoegaze / Dream Pop?

Written by Guest on 20.11.2016 at 07:49

I like this band, is it considered Shoegaze / Dream Pop?

What? Dream Pop?
It's like I listen to Shoegaze/Blackgaze.

Written by Guest on 20.11.2016 at 07:49

I like this band, is it considered Shoegaze / Dream Pop?

A modern variant of metal-tinged, post-rock-flirting shoegaze, sure. Not really dream pop.

This is beautiful:

おきしじん - かればなに

This is pretty top tier I think:

Written by Drippy.Hippie on 28.08.2023 at 16:50

This is pretty top tier I think:

Literally the best shoegaze song.