Shoegaze emerged in the late 1980s, where it was used to describe bands like My Bloody Valentine and Ride, who tended to gaze down toward their guitar pedals during performances while their “wall of sound” and delicate vocals took hold. Though it has waxed and waned in favor, shoegaze has been the genre that could never die — and now there’s a micro-movement of young musicians making what fans have dubbed “nü gaze.” Gen Z artists like Wisp are swapping guitar rigs for laptops and MIDIs to blend emo intensity with pop-forward melodies from their bedrooms, like on her viral track “Your face.”
“It wasn’t something I planned intentionally,” Wisp explains of the cryptic imagery behind the song. “I just didn’t feel it was necessary to show my face so early on. I wanted the focus to be on the music.” For our Winter 2024 Issue, Wisp takes us behind the resurgence while dropping some clues about her forthcoming debut album, which she’s making with Max Epstein of Photographic Memory.
Read more: My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless is still groundbreaking after 30 years
Preorder your copy today, and stay tuned for additional cover reveals this week. Also in AP’s Winter 2024 Issue, find features on Machine Girl, Touché Amoré, Knives, and more.
Eliza Jouin
Story: Hannah Ewens
Photos: Eliza Jouin
Styling: Dakota Cosgrove and Eloise Moulton
Makeup: Nica Tan
Hair: Alex Shan
Photo assistant: Caroline Cavalier
Editor-in-Chief: Anna Zanes
Content Editor: Neville Hardman
Lead Designer: Rob Ortenzi