Swirlies is an American indie rock band formed in Boston in 1990. Since their first records in the early 1990s, the band has released studio and home recordings that blend shoegaze and twee pop with electronica and lo-fi music.
Swirlies in their practice space, 1992
Shoegaze is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volume. It emerged in Ireland and the United Kingdom in the late 1980s among neo-psychedelic groups who usually stood motionless during live performances in a detached, non-confrontational state. The name comes from the heavy use of effects pedals, as the performers were often looking down at their pedals during concerts.
Shoegaze's name is in reference to how many guitarists in the genre stare downwards at their pedals
Scottish band Cocteau Twins (pictured in 1986), helped define what would become known as shoegaze, credited with the development of "a sound that would become the gold standard for enigmatic, ethereal indie-pop"
My Bloody Valentine performing live in 2008
Deafheaven brought blackgaze, a black metal and shoegaze fusion genre, to prominence with the 2013 album Sunbather.
