• Slowdive "Self Titled" LP

Dead Ocean Records

It’s no secret that shoegaze finds itself in dire straits these days due to a lack of innovation. While the genre’s roots are alive and evident, contemporary artists are electing to show flashes of it in their pop or metal rather than playing a traditional shoegaze sound. Creating ethereal dream pop in the style of Beach House or channeling punishing metal riffs through delay pedals like Alcest is about the extent of forward thinking that the genre has seen over the last 20 years. Indisputably, Slowdive contributed significantly to both of these extremes in the early ’90s. While it would be largely unfair to expect the British quintet’s comeback record (their first in 22 years) to provide shoegaze with its much needed jolt of innovation, the eponymous album does serve as an excellent example of what a great shoegaze record should sound like.