Shoegaze from Southeast Asia for the Filipino music fan

Shoegaze from Southeast Asia for the Filipino music fan

by rick olivares

The popularity of shoegaze and dream pop music is at an all-time high all over the world with bands releasing new albums to acclaim and sales.

The British bands that popularized the genre -- My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Swervedriver are back. The former is ready to drop their second album since they reformed a few years ago. Slowdive is still touring heavily in support of 2017’s self-titled fourth album that cemented the return of the genre to popularity. 

Miki Berenyi of Lush that had an abbreviated return several years ago formed the shoegaze supergroup Piroshka that just dropped their debut album.

Russia’s contribution is pinkshinyultrablast that takes the etherealness of the Cocteau Twins and showers it all over the atmosphere. There is Dead Horse One from France, Ringo Deathstarr and the Stargazer Lillies from America, India has the brilliant Lo! Peninsula, and Rev Rev Rev from Italy to name but a very few. 

Here in the Philippines, after Sonnet 58 came out in the 1990s (they released an EP on compact disc), there have been no true shoegaze bands that have followed suit. What the local scene has are hybrids; perhaps, more dream pop than the style espoused by Jesus and the Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, and Slowdive. There have been recent releases by Sugar Hiccup, Narcloudia, Identikit, the Strange Creatures, Megumi Acorda, and the Ringmaster to name few but none in the classic shoegaze style.

In neighboring Hong Kong, the shoegaze scene is alive and well with bands staying true to the wall of sound, fuzz, atmospherics, and whispery vocals that defined the genre when it first emanated from England. 

This 2019 has seen two Hong Kong bands – Thud and Twisterella – respectively release a single and full-length album on vinyl within weeks of each other (with a few others ready to follow suit). There are others such as Sea of Tranquility, So It Goes, and the quirkily named No Remains Virgin but their releases are all online and streaming. 

For Filipino fans of the genre who purchase albums from Western bands, we recommend these two from our neighbors.

Ado/Still Still by Thud (Songs for Children Records)

A double A-side release on seven-inch vinyl. Thud is like Slowdive where the dreamy vocals by Kim are utilized like a layer of sound. “Ado” soars then gives way to the pulsating “Still Still”. This is a wonderful follow up to their extended play release on compact disc, Floret (that contains the wonderful “Lime”). 

Seasons Over the Years by Twisterella (Imagine Records)

This band has been around for a while releasing an EP online and on cassette and are said to have developed a reputation for their live shows that are also visually striking.

If you can hear the Slowdive influence on Thud with Twisterella is Ride with the pop sensibility of Lush.  

Seasons Over the Years, their debut full length album is 10 years in the making and its out on beautiful white vinyl. And that’s a perfect complement to the seven tracks that never break you in slowly before taking you on a ride. “Stay Away is a slow burn that breaks you in. Then the band launches in the steamy Swervedriver rocker “Stationism” with vocalist Karen reminding me of Altered Images singer Clare Grogan. 

I love the alternate feel of the tracks that slow ones to charged songs. 

Check out both bands’ music on Facebook, Bandcamp, and YouTube. You can get in touch with them on FB to buy physical copies of their releases. 

Twisterella