Cultural origins Early 2000s, England | ||
Stylistic origins Shoegazing
ethereal wave Typical instruments Guitar
vocals
bass
drums
keyboards | ||
Nu gaze refers to a form of alternative rock originating in the 2000s and drawing influence from the shoegazing scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. A renewed interest in shoegaze occurred in the early 2000s when bands such as Maps, Blonde Redhead, My Vitriol and Silversun Pickups first emerged across both sides of the Atlantic. The origin of the moniker "nu gaze" has been credited to an interview in 2001 with My Vitriol frontman Som Wardner in which he denied his band was shoegaze, instead stating humorously, "I guess you could call us nu-gaze".
According to an article in The Oxford Student, music from the genre features "droning riffs, subdued vocals and walls of distorted, messy guitar or synth". The style of the music relies on using various effects such as looping, effects pedals and synthesizers to distort the music. The shoegaze revival draws inspiration heavily from shoegaze but incorporates more modern sounds.