Shoegaze

"A number of critics claim to have coined the term back in the 1990s, including Andy Ross and Moose magazine, but they didn’t invent the music itself. The origins of the genre may depend on how strict your definition of shoegaze music is. Before the genre experienced a full-blown boom in the 1990s, albeit overshadowed by the giants of Britpop and grunge, a number of artists showed shoegaze leanings in their sound."

"The original, early-’90s era of shoegaze took to the EP like ducks to water. Not to generalize but shoegaze bands tended to favor extended instrumental sections allowing them to bliss out on a riff, or even just a chord. A whole album of that might prove taxing for some, but with an EP, the indulgence is more digestible and the best groups’ EPs offered up a “hit,” a song where they really let go, and made room to experiment too. With acid house, the Manchester scene and grunge all happening at the same time, there was a lot of sonic osmosis going on."

"This unique genre is known for creating dreamy atmospheres with sound, obscure vocals, feedback, distortion, and amped-up volume."

"Emerging in the United Kingdom in the late 1980s, shoegaze was Britain’s answer to America’s emerging grunge craze. [...] Obtaining the classic “shoegaze” sound requires the use of effect pedals to capture its spiraling complexity."