COLLAPSE – “Path”

Amidst the flurry of band dissolution announcements last week, I was alarmed to see this Twitter thread from Tokyo shoegazers COLLAPSE (not to be confused with Tokyo Shoegazer, although singer Shoko Inoue was once part of Tokyo Shoegazer, as you know), announcing: “As of April 2026, Gt.YU will be leaving the band, and going forward, […]

Whitelands – “Setting Sun”

And the hits just keep coming, but not the good kind of hits – more the body blow sort. Proving that shoegazers disbanding isn’t a phenomenon restricted to Japan, one of the bright new lights of the shoegaze scene – London’s Whitelands – abruptly announced their dissolution yesterday, effective immediately. Beyond the band’s statement, there’s […]

AprilBlue -『言の葉の国』

A couple weeks ago while bemoaning the hiatus-ing/disbanding of Shirotsume after a final gig in July, I mentioned a second body blow for fans of the poppier end of J-gaze and that’s because on that same day, AprilBlue announced they too would be splitting up following a final show in August. AprilBlue, of course, was […]

Glazyhaze – “Do You?”

Venetian shoegazers Glazyhaze have returned with their first new song of the year, described as “a rock song with a pop heart, suspended between the warmth of the night and the quiet intimacy of early morning light”. The song arrived last week mostly without comment, so it’s not clear if it’s a one-off or the […]

Blurred City Lights -『 月光 』

I made my first visit to Nagoya, Japan a few weeks ago, but only saw their Shinkanesen station and Legoland Japan, situated on the city’s port lands. There’s no point to this besides to say “hey go look at my holiday pics” but also that if local shoegaze ambassadors Blurred City Lights had released their […]

deary – “Alma”

I appreciate that it seems like new singles from some bands seem like automatic posts – because they basically are – but I’d like to point out that it’s a really exciting time in the genre because there are these new acts who are putting out really great music and taking the sound forward, and […]