Shoegaze Favourites – hear what's hot! This playlist, refreshed regularly, features my top 30 shoegaze tracks of 2025. It's all about highlighting the best under-the-radar bands (mostly) you might miss in my other huge playlists. From dreamy to heavy, soft to grungy, these songs are all killer. Think of this as your shoegaze starter pack, a taste of the best new music. Enjoy!

Send me your favorite tracks below – I'm always looking for new gems!

(Clicking on the playlist cover opens Spotify in a new window)

Playlistcover: LABYRINTHINE OCEANS from Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

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 May 1st, 2025

This 'Shoegaze Top 30 favourites' issue is all about - women! Extremely wonderful songs by great female artists (mostly) and bands that are definitely worth listening to in this crisp, short playlist. Fantastic new releases from:

• Artist: Labyrinthine Oceans (Newcastle upon Tyne (England), UK) 
• Song: heaven (new single, released April 23)

• Artist: Zellie Bride (Mississauga (Ontario), Canada 
• Song: Take Me As I Am (debut single, released March 28. That warm, soft voice with slightly fragile vibes - irresistible.
• Artist: Glazyhaze (Venice, Italy)
• Song: SLAP (taken from their new album 'SONIC', released March 23)

• Artist: Thelma's Dream (Helsinki, Finland)
• Song: From The Heights (great opener of the self-titled debut album, released April 25)
• Artist: softcult (Kitchener (Ontario), Canada
• Song: Pill To Swallow (new single, released April 25)

• Artist: Shades of Violette (Washington, D.C., US)
• Song: Save Some For Me (released March 29, taken from their 2nd album 'Spiritsense')
• Artist: virgins (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
• Song: b l o  o m s (new single, released April 3)
• Artist: hazy waters (London (England), UK)
• Song: attention (debut single, released April 4)
• Artist: fetters in use (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
• Song: Scary (taken from the debut album 'Grain of Soul', released April 11)

• Artist: VERTTIGO (Edmonton (Alberta), Canada
• Song: THE.DAGGER (taken from the 3-pc ep 'AUTUMN.DREAMS', released April 26). New vocals, new mixes, some changes.
• Artist: Lost Velvet (Reading (England), UK)
• Song: Endless (debut single, dropped April 25). indie pop collide in a haunting 90s dreamscape. Duo of Melissa Morris & Robert Butcher.
• Artist: A Day In Venice (Trieste, Italy)
• Song: Someone Like You (new single, released  April 30)
• Artist: French Film (Austin (Texas), US
• Song: Crude Charm (new single, released  April 4)
• Artist: Pillowprince (Oakland (California), US
• Song: Care About (Taken from their debut ep 'pretty, baby!', released April 25)
• Artist: Haiku Garden (Ljubljana, Slovenia) feat. Malidah
• Song: 300.000 (new single, released March 28)
• Artist: The First Eloi (Hamburg, Germany)
• Song: Blanket Cave (new single, released dropped March 27)
• Artist: los membrillos (Peru)
• Song: Espirales (new single, released March 7)
• Artist: Ghosts of Cinema (Utah, US)
• Song: In Media Res (taken from the album 'Fantasmagoria', released April 2)
• Artist: Combing (Seattle (Washington), US)
• Song: Voices (taken from the new 2-pc single 'Felt b/w Voices', released March 28)
• Artist: Sun Shines Cold (Edingburg Scotland)
• Song: A Feeling Unknown (new single, released March 29)
• Artist: Sungaze (Cincinnati (Ohio), US
• Song: Feel Better Tomorrow (new single, released April 11)
• Artist: OSNOVA (Los Angeles, California)
• Song: Verity (new single, released April 16)
• Artist: Trepid (Athens (Georgia), US
• Song: Comeback (debut single, released April 24)
• Artist: March Dove (Warsaw, Poland)
• Song: Skyfalling (taken from the 2-pc debut single 'Skyfalling', released April 25)
• Artist: Neon Wire (New York City, US)
• Song: Wasting (debut single, released March 27)
• Artist: Mr. Blue (Japan)
• Song: Still Blue (new single, released April 23)
• Artist: Fotoform (Seattle (Washington), US
• Song: The City Is Over (new single, released April 15)

• Artist: Hannah Robinson (Newcastle upon Tyne (England), UK) 
• Song: Who I Am (single, released Mar 14)
• Artist: Mannequin Flowers (London, UK)
• Song: Validation (single, released Mar 18) Incredible song with a kicking guitar tremolo at 3:40, and an exploding guitar at the end
• Artist: SONYA (Budapest, Hungary)
• Song: Side Of You (single, dropped Feb 21)
• Artist: swim school (Edinburgh, Scotland)
• Song: Alone With You (new single, released April 15)

TOP 30 shoegaze favourites on Spotify. Promoted on all socials (Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, tumblr, Reddit...) 

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This service and website is dedicated to all those who love shoegaze and its many offshoots, such as grungegaze, heavygaze, emogaze, countrygaze, American shoegaze, slowgaze, and countless other variations. It's designed for fans of bands like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Mazzy Star, Cocteau Twins, Ride, Lush, Whirr, Alcest, Jesus and Mary Chain, Fleshwater, DIIV, Deerhunter, Galaxy 500, Drop Nineteens, Curve, Nothing, Just Mustard, Pale Saints, Catherine Wheel, trauma ray, julie, Bethany Curve, Secret Shine, Hundredth, A Shoreline Dream, When The Sun Hits, and many more.

Shoegaze, a genre that emerged from the 1980s, remains incredibly relevant today. Often described as dreamlike music, it is characterized by dense yet melodic, multi-layered guitar walls created with the help of electronic effects and synthesizers. These compositions frequently alternate with quieter passages that rely more on reverb, flanger, and feedback effects rather than distortion.

Shoegaze is alive and well! With my playlists on Spotify, there are countless bands from around the world waiting to be discovered.