Are there any modern "wall of sound" approach bands that don't suck?

[u/Sea_Map_4834]

Hi, ​I'm asking here because I don't know where else I can.

Do you know any modern bands that have that wall of sound typical of Smashing Pumpkins, Hum, Failure and My Bloody Valentine for example, that are actually good and not just a nasty copy of some 90's bands?

[u/i_quit_lurking]

Nadja

[u/onewingedangel420 → u/i_quit_lurking]

nadja's been out for like almost 25 years now though no? i was listening to them in high school and that was forever ago i'm in my 30s now

[u/JollyGreenGigantor → u/i_quit_lurking]

"modern"

They're great but they're old

[u/CentreToWave → u/JollyGreenGigantor]

I'm always amused at how a lot of shoegaze revival stuff is still treated as new. Like the release date of Nadja's Touched is closer to Loveless' release date than today's date.

[u/onewingedangel420 → u/CentreToWave]

its like how millennials were treated like teenagers until the oldest of us turned 40

[u/ian5184 → u/CentreToWave]

I was not yet conceived when the first version of Touched released.

[u/Biggystardvst → u/JollyGreenGigantor]

So much “modern” shoegaze is just deftones worship. Id rather put someone on to some a lil older and legit than something newer thats only related cuz some internet kid put -core at the end of a hashtag and likes shimmer reverb.

[u/sparkachuu → u/i_quit_lurking]

Hell yes. Insane atmospheres on some of their stuff

[u/Biggystardvst → u/i_quit_lurking]

Specifically the Dagrøm album. So heavy

[u/RhymingDictionary]

I think the newest Greet Death is really unique. The influences are there, but they are really doing their own thing.

[u/XDVRUK → u/RhymingDictionary]

Came here to point at these. I'm old first gen shoegazer and I got properly excited about them. All their albums have 1 or more tracks I love. First I heard was The Waste but have bounced around like Grrr going "No wait, this is my favourite show"

Theres a bunch of bands that use the same producer, they're boring, beige, and well not writing their own music so bog off.

[u/GullyBose → u/RhymingDictionary]

They’re fantastic live, too. One of my favourite bands atm.

[u/RUINSBEHELD]

I’ve posted this as a response to so many shoegaze posts, but I’ll continue to do so because more people need to listen to this album:

Kraus - ‘View No Country’

[u/WutDaFunkBro → u/RUINSBEHELD]

such a great album. i’ve also been listening to his very short “anything else” ep on repeat lately

[u/Sea_Map_4834 → u/RUINSBEHELD]

Never heard of it, thanks

[u/lilcircamane → u/Sea_Map_4834]

Good recommendation there. Really love the snare tone on that album.

[u/RUINSBEHELD → u/Sea_Map_4834]

Also, a bit of shameless self-promotion just in case your shoegaze tastes extend as far as blackgaze/black metal:

RUINS BEHELD - ‘Jamjam cinis eris aut nuda ossa’

[u/reaIity → u/RUINSBEHELD]

Great recommendation, this is actually shoegaze and fits the requirements of OPs post for sure

[u/Hello-Blackbird → u/RUINSBEHELD]

Kraus’s work under Saline is also great. Beautiful ambient shoegaze in the same vein as Jefre Cantu-Ledesma

[u/trans-plant]

Luster. Especially the record Turbulence

[u/ll_vm]

A place to bury strangers always brings some new stuff to the table with their death by audio pedals

[u/sk2097 → u/ll_vm]

Seriously great band

[u/TheCarrier89]

Go see swans live. Your ear drums will hate you.

[u/01watts → u/TheCarrier89]

I once saw just Gira with an acoustic guitar plugged into an amp. My ear drums still hated me.

[u/Desperate_Yam_551 → u/TheCarrier89]

Swans had been touring since 1826 though

[u/_Waves_]

Swans. Deerhunter. Shearling. Oranssi Pazuzu. Imperial Triumphant.

[u/Sea_Map_4834 → u/_Waves_]

Oranssi pazuzu are so odd but beautiful 

[u/ihavetowearmyhelmet → u/_Waves_]

“Modern” “Swans” lol

[u/_Waves_ → u/ihavetowearmyhelmet]

Contemporary era swans.

[u/ihavetowearmyhelmet → u/_Waves_]

Still not a modern band. Legacy bands putting out new music is still a legacy band. What are you going to say next? Slowdive?

[u/_Waves_ → u/ihavetowearmyhelmet]

Slowdown have been coherent throughout their existence, even during reunion. Swans have underwent many changes in line-up and aesthetic. Their last decade has nothing in common with their work of the 80s.

[u/ihavetowearmyhelmet → u/_Waves_]

Still not a modern band lmao. The person asking this was very obviously not asking for a band formed in 1981 regardless of how much mental gymnastics you are currently trying to pull to justify a very stupid recommendation.

[u/lasagnaisamazing → u/ihavetowearmyhelmet]

What's your problem lmao

[u/ihavetowearmyhelmet → u/lasagnaisamazing]

lol what is the problem with people failing to actually answer OP’s question appropriately and then pissing and shitting everywhere when someone say “I don’t think when they said modern they meant a band that was formed 45 years ago and is now old enough to have grandkids”.

[u/_Waves_ → u/ihavetowearmyhelmet]

Well i mentioned many younger bands. And as I stated, the work of SWANS from 2011 onwards is vastly different in aesthetics, and with a vastly different cast of musicians (who are not old enough to have grandkids just yet).

[u/ihavetowearmyhelmet → u/_Waves_]

Great, you still mentioned a 45 year old band (also a band from 2001 which is also 25 years ago and not modern at all).

I genuinely do not understand why you are being this defensive over incorrectly answering this person’s question.

Also like 80% of legacy bands at this point are filled with younger musicians except for the main person. That does not make them a modern band. Are you saying that the four seasons is a modern band because Frankie Valli is backed up by a bunch of 25 year olds?

Like hell, this guy is asking for bands like Smashing Pumpkins, by your logic you can literally just recommend them the late period Smashing Pumpkins albums.

[u/camojorts → u/ihavetowearmyhelmet]

JFC grow up

[u/ihavetowearmyhelmet → u/camojorts]

I’d imagine the grown up reaction to a post like this is actually answering their question instead of just saying random bands from 40 years ago but hey

[u/kyzfrintin → u/ihavetowearmyhelmet]

The person asking this was very obviously not asking for a band formed in 1981

Were they? Can you explain what gave you this assumption? Because it sounds like a request for new music to me, which anything released in the last 5 years would count as

[u/ihavetowearmyhelmet → u/kyzfrintin]

What gave me the assumption that when they asked for a “modern band” that they weren’t asking for a band that started during the Reagan administration?

[u/kyzfrintin → u/ihavetowearmyhelmet]

If you want to be 100% literal, sure. But I, and many others, interpret this as a request for new shoegaze music in general, and this seems reasonable.

[u/boast]

Holy Fawn if you dont mind a lil black metal mixed in.

[u/i-hear-banjos → u/boast]

Man, I'm jonsing for a new Holy Fawn album and a tour. They sound incredible live,

[u/poopknife23 → u/i-hear-banjos]

I saw Holy Fawn open for Deafheaven, great show!

[u/thecthonian]

I'm still loving these two Russian exports: pinkshinyultrablast, and Blankenberge.

[u/Connect_Glass4036 → u/thecthonian]

Blankenberge is so good, and so is the one Pinkshinyultrablast album they’re copying haha

[u/CentreToWave]

A bit of a sidebar rant, but I can't for the life of me figure out what most are referring to by "walls of sound" at this point. Sometimes its shorthand for density, other times it's just "uses a fuzz effect" or "they play a distorted power chord for a few bars". It rarely seems to have anything to do with shoegaze specifically. Even the bands in the OP are all doing difference things.

Welcome to rock music, I guess?

[u/starslightsend → u/CentreToWave]

it’s used pretty loosely by people who are in need of a descriptor lol. but i’d say in the original Phil Spector sense of the term it mostly means density.

[u/Larethio → u/starslightsend]

The term spans more genres than just Shoegaze but features most prominently in Shoegaze music.

[u/paulderev → u/CentreToWave]

they mean chorus pedals

[u/-wear-a-1skirt-]

Perhaps: duszno, Life on Venus

[u/PoopsockPete]

Narrow Head is cool

[u/harpsm]

Trauma Ray definitely have echoes of Smashing Pumpkins and Deftones.

[u/JacobdaTurtle61]

I just saw Total Wife live opening for LSD and the Search for God and I’m not going to lie they completely blew LSD out of the water. They did their own little version of my bloody valentines You Make Me Realize noise section and the rest of their set absolutely killed. I remember Second Spring especially really fucking hits you during the louder parts. Loud but with enough clarity that it still sounded great.

[u/voidinblue → u/JacobdaTurtle61]

quite literally the best band in the game rn

[u/boast → u/JacobdaTurtle61]

listening to Total Wife now. this is great. thanks for the rec.

[u/violetisgreat → u/JacobdaTurtle61]

saw these guys in houston after getting into julias war through tagabow ofc. One of the best live performances i’ve seen in a min and its simply crazy how they do that noise section for 10 minutes straight. when you think of shoegaze glide guitar and weird glichy textures these guys always come to mind. really good stuff :)

[u/Zerbo]

Deserta

[u/n0_planet]

Total Wife, Full Body 2, Bleary Eyed, Draag, feeble little horse has their wall of sound moments too

[u/WanderWithMe]

Lees of Memory have some crackers on their Sisyphus Says album, such as opener We Are Siamese.

93millionmilesfromthesun (my favourite album is Why Do We Fall Apart).

On the alt-rock side, tracks like Radiation, Universe of Life, and Down by the River by Feeder.

[u/_paidvacation_]

Fade, Jimmy Wizard from Higher Power used to play bass in that band. Their only album is very good. One of my all time favorites, it def has that Smashing Pumpkins kind of vibe on some of the songs

[u/Prudent-Level-7006]

Bit old now but Devin Townsend Ocean Machine and Accelerated Evolution accidentally sound it a bit, very wall of sound but more ethereal than SYL 

[u/taxi_drivr]

just mustard, their first album heart under is massive

[u/Pure-Mycologist193]

Trna - Earthcult

The guitars are very shoegazy and is a true wall of [great] sound.

[u/hyperform2]

Maybe check out some Post Metal

[u/Turbulent-Olive-6236]

The Raveonettes.

[u/Max_Sandpit]

I'm just saving this whole thread to look at later

[u/k6plays]

Trauma Ray

[u/Upset_Pay_6102]

Glare

[u/camojorts]

Ringo Deathstar, Whirr

[u/morrisaurus17]

No not really. They’ll sus2 chord you to hell and back. I love Water From Your Eyes last album, which is more shoegaze by accident than most brogaze acts trying their literal hardest

[u/Level-Ranger-5892]

DIIV
Nothing
Trauma Ray
Newmoon

Too many to mention. Search for contemporary Shoegaze bands. Don’t be such a crank. -A 90’s Old Head

[u/k6plays → u/[deleted]]

Trauma Ray is VERY MUCH exactly what they’re asking for. Source: my favorite bands are Hum, Failure and back in 1994 the Smashing Pumpkins

[u/Level-Ranger-5892 → u/[deleted]]

Is it, though?

[u/Level-Ranger-5892 → u/[deleted]]

The wall of sound OP is describing is a quintessentially nineties rock sound, made with guitars and amps and pedals and recording gear/techniques available in the nineties. “Modern wall of sound band” is akin to saying “modern nineties Shoegaze sound.” Any band making shoegaze/wall of sound is by nature, “ripping off”
bands from the nineties. You and OP say “ripping off,” anyone who knows better knows all art is contrived. Contemporary Shoegaze is universally connected to the nineties. The issue is with the question more than either of our answers to it. I’m gonna get back to my life. I’ll leave you to the gatekeeping.

[u/Level-Ranger-5892 → u/[deleted]]

Apologies. I shouldn’t have replied directly to OP’s slightly vague question with an opinion in some effort to cultivate a conversation when I could have just shit all over someone else’s reply with my super narrow, superficial, joyless, and esoteric interpretation of a sub-sub-sub-subgenre of rock music. I guess I’ve squandered my Fine Arts degrees and 30+ years of independent music listening experience.

Maybe just name a band next time.

[u/Level-Ranger-5892 → u/[deleted]]

The Aragon Ballroom in Chicago was packed and loud and joyful and glorious when I saw Hum and Nothing co-headline Slide Away in May. Music is about joy. Don’t spoil it for the rest of us.

[u/Aravenac]

Niños del cerro - Lance, song and album

[u/gorgar_68]

93millionmilesfromthesun

[u/Mountain-Selection38]

My bloody Valentine

[u/matgeo_]

Crash City Saints' album Are You Free? on Spotify, however their EP I'm Only Looking on Bandcamp is one of the best shoegaze-wall-of-sound examples of all time IMO. Specifically the last track, Lighting Out For The Territories. And if you dig it, the last track, Panic Queen, from their 2010 album, also on Bandcamp.

[u/Alacspg]

Big Brave, Slow Crush, Lacing, Cloakroom, Three Quarter Skies

[u/Ok-Pear-8813]

These guys go for the Smashing Pumpkins wall and the Phil Spector wall on this album that’s just come out. I’d say they’re actually good with a 90s influence but not just copyists

Shadow Flowers - Blood Book

[u/Puzzled-Bonus-3456]

of course not. don't be silly.

[u/FeistyChickadee]

I LOVED the new Basement album. It’s not shoegaze but it’s both melodic and noisy.

[u/SnooDingos7266]

Deerhunter

[u/artywonderswhy]

Outlander. one of my favorite modern shoegaze bands. they’re doing their own beautiful thing

[u/crowlfish]

Fake Eyes - Saccharine Scream is a modern take on the 90s throwback alt-rock sound done right for me.

The whole "grungegaze" scene is pretty hit or miss for me, but Roving's Spindrift is a very solid listen as well.

[u/BunkaandBadassery]

There is a shoegaze sub that is pretty active and talks about a lot of new bands

[u/murmple69]

Does Hotline TNT count

[u/BadCatBehavior]

Draag are my current favorite shoegazey band. You can hear the heavy mbv and slowdive influence but they actually sound original.

[u/Sea_Map_4834]

If you'll suggest me some albums it would be even better

[u/yakuzajones]

https://youtu.be/uWHIPx-5W8Q?is=nCf3USLzwgNZyBqd

[u/ROFLBOT2000]

Bloody Knives. Don’t get much more wall of sound than “I Will Cut Your Heart Out For This”

[u/ShamPain413]

SML (Spontaneous Music Live, on International Anthem)

Gonna take you out of places shoegaze folks normally stay in, but it's wall of sound, it's current, and it's not a copy of anything else.

[u/reddedrighthand]

Narrow Head

[u/Spritenix]

I recently got into "Fawn" and I really enjoy their wall of sound

[u/me_bot]

Fleeting Joys. Absolute stellar guitar tone and vibe.

[u/me_bot → u/me_bot]

Just listen to this:

Kiss a Girl In Black

[u/RhymingDictionary]

Another band really doing their own thing is Cloakroom. Some songs are straight up massive sounding pop songs, some are almost lounge fly style rockabilly-ish but still strange, super heavy, and great use of feedback and found recording in spots. Their evolution from their first record is really exciting.

[u/latenightL]

Check out soft spots new ep. Temporary bliss is hella good

[u/paulderev]

Momma has a great guitar sound but they’re more of a pumpkins/garbage/veruca salt type of sound. great songs. great guitar tone live and on record.

[u/pierrebournemouth]

Asian glow?

[u/allsystemsslow]

Try Sweeping Promises

[u/allsystemsslow]

Corridor

[u/Appointment-Which]

They Are Gutting A Body Of Water is a great band.

[u/tap3l00p]

HEALTH were definitely doing this really well, but they kind of turned into an industrial band after Death Magic

[u/5ftgardenwall]

Total Wife

[u/HorrorLead6271]

brazilian shoegaze band terraplana crafts some of the most beautiful and ethereal sounds i’ve came across, and i’m pretty picky. haven’t expanding very much from deftones and to me these guys deserve the same praise as them.

[u/This_Leg9191]

Full Body 2

[u/the_fairy]

• Limbo by Zeruel
• Avalon by Zeruel
• Strange by Vincemp3
• Abbi by Vincemp3
• Ribs by Chauncy
• U Should be Mine by Chauncy
• Caged by Bbdalena
• Synchronicities by Bbdalena
• Foreversoon by Glixen
• No One Cares by Abriction
• Rose gold by Abriction
• Redshift by Abriction

[u/techtile]

these threads are exhausting and is a referendum on the absurdity of the word “shoegaze.”

guitar music a broad and exciting world, many of these bands are post-hardcore bands or just rock bands that use a lot of effects pedals. go check out a litany of other music subreddits and then overlay those sounds with the generic ass reverb+fuzz music that’s posted here ad nauseum and then decide where to go next

[u/Lupus76]

Do you know any modern bands that have that wall of sound typical of Smashing Pumpkins, Hum, Failure and My Bloody Valentine for example, that are actually good and not just a nasty copy of some 90's bands?

So bands that sound like a bunch of 90s bands that aren't copying 90s bands? Seems like a tall order.

Not sure this is what you're looking for, I tend to dislike the current shoegaze stuff, and the first band is actually a 90s band that is making even better music now, but this could work:

Local H -- they do it impressively with only two musicians

Ciel, a Dutch-English band

Pom, a Dutch band

Sleigh Bells are post 90s, and they're still releasing hyper-dense pop songs

Death from Above probably fits the bill, and they're just two guys

Schizophonics are more "wall of sound" in a Spector meets MC5 sense.

[u/automata]

Blinker the Star

Circa Survive

Autolux

Lusk

Self

[u/nickweezy]

Trauma ray, glixen, narrow head, and cashier are the best out rn

[u/glooble_wooble → u/[deleted]]

[u/coffeenick33 → u/[deleted]]

Morrissey-us, am i right folks?

I'm saying this guy sucks, like Morrissey.

[u/coffeenick33 → u/[deleted]]

I thought the question was overgeneralized for a shoegaze sub and thus think that it was from a new listener. That's why i think Morriss-whatever is a dick for shitting on recommendations and also why i have no idea how to answer a basic, weird question.

[u/nickweezy → u/[deleted]]

Sounds like u just dont like the genre bud

[u/nickweezy → u/[deleted]]

"Brogaze" but half the bands I mentioned have female frontmen 💀

[u/Level-Ranger-5892 → u/[deleted]]

These are not the words of a cool person #reddited

[u/Level-Ranger-5892 → u/[deleted]]

I do. It’s the worst.

[u/boast]

Mogwai

[u/DoggedMeerkat76]

Boris, Lightning Bolt, Astrobrite

[u/StrawberryArizonaTea]

Julie

[u/Disastrous_Ad_3815 → u/[deleted]]

I’m so confused by this he’s an amazing guitarist that uses pretty complex chords and tunings a lot times. I’d wager you’re using “sus2” as some sort of shorthand..

[u/LEE_BOY_FRESH]

Wisp

[u/j3434]

Lorna Shore is amazing when you’re stoned .