If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Brian Karlsson Philadelphia shoegaze heroes they are gutting a body of water (aka TAGABOW) are known for eschewing your standard shoegaze rules to create their own thrilling sound. Their latest single, "the chase," might be their most traditionally shoegaze song yet, but of course that's always relative. The new single is a heavy version of the genre, built more for moshing than chinstroking, but that wall of heavy sound and fuzz will still blast you back once "the chase" starts. Lyrics aren't typically the focus with this still of music, but the song features a gripping spoken word story of songwriter and guitarist Douglas Dulgarian's account of relapsing. TAGABOW are reinventing a decades old genre, and we're thrilled to be on this journey with them. Douglas Dulgarian says of his band's latest single: “It’s hard. In no way do I want to glorify drug use. I want to make it clear that attempts to escape yourself leave you yearning for a f...

Photo by Sean Booz Total Wife are an experimental duo from Nashville. Their latest single, "make it last," may have its basis in shoegaze. I say "may" because I'm not sure how to describe this song. It has all of the fuzz and warmth of shoegaze, but Total Wife take that genre and put it through a bizarre filter to make their sound. It's like they took a recording of "make it last" and spliced it with some kind of electronic noise that weaves in and out. The foundation for a nice, normal alt-pop hit is probably in there somewhere, but instead Total Wife made this amazing and groundbreaking noise jam. This one is going to be defiantly not for everyone, but if it works for you, Total Wife could end up being your latest favorite. Vocalist and lyricist Ash Richter says of the band's latest single: “‘make it last’ started as kind of a horny song.  I was experimenting with lyric writing that felt a little less serious or sappy, but the more I worked t...

Photo by Brian Karlsson We talk a lot about how much of modern music is without a genre, but no one exemplifies that quite like They are Gutting a Body of Water, aka TAGABOW. The band's new single, "trainers," is going to mostly be considered a heavy shoegaze song, but that barely scratches the surface of their sound. They've nailed the loud/quiet/loud thing perfectly, and the song starts off more as a slightly off-center indie rock song before the wall of noise and fuzz barrels over you. If that was the only sonic change up in the song, it would still be a great track, but TAGABOW also adds in interesting little samples and electronic noises after a killer guitar solo that defies everything we know about shoegaze. "trainers" is a good one that will demand multiple listens to make sure you've taken it all in. Singer Doug Dalgarian says the new single is  “... a vignette, a day in the life; desiring something wholesome while still grappling with the reali...

Photo by Brian Karlsson Philadelphia's TAGABOW (aka They are Gutting a Body of Water) were one of my favorite discoveries from this year's Something in the Way Festival. The band's latest single, "AMERICAN FOOD," is everything I loved from their performance. They're considered one of the new shoegaze bands, and while that's not incorrect, it also doesn't come close to explaining their genre ignoring sound. This new song has a guitar that is reminiscent of shoegaze, but the song is also much heavier. Plus, the song is filled with samples, electronic effects on vocals, and drums that sound electronic, as well. It's kinda shoegaze, but also hardcore, hip hop, and electronic music. "AMERICAN FOOD" is such a hodgepodge of sounds that it simply shouldn't work, but newfangled artists like TAGABOW somehow pull off these new and eclectic sounds perfectly. You can watch the video for "AMERICAN FOOD" below. The single is out now via a ...

Photo by Devonte Johnson Hailing from Los Angeles, Draag make music that can best be described as shoegaze, although that's not completely accurate. Their latest single, "Orb Weaver," has that dreamy sound associated with shoegaze, but Draag take the genre off in their own direction. The guitars sound warped, and it's more of a small wave of sound brushing against your legs than the typical overpowering wave most shoegaze artists use. "Orb Weaver" takes the forty or so year old genre and moves it forward, and also a little bit to the left. Adrian Acosta says of his band's latest single: “Jess [Huang] and I go on night walks in our neighborhood often, probably because there’s no one around and we are obsessed with the eerie nostalgic quality of empty neighborhoods.  One summer, it was very hard to walk without running into a big orb weaver web. I have a severe fear of spiders. I used the night walks as a form of therapy but it got me in a fearful state in...