The year in shoegaze and dream pop reviewed; with over 100 albums and songs listed (the playlist runs over 8 hours if you stick with it). This one’s a little out of control! It’s been months in the making so I hope you find something to like. 2017 has been an incredibly strong year for shoegaze fans, there’s so much to dig through. The music below covers a range of reverb-centric genres: jangle pop; psych; noise rock; shoegaze; ambient; dream pop, and so forth. There’s a genre column on the album list to assist the purists, which you can sort yourself. It’s been organised by release date but I’m going to chat through a smaller list of faves.

The rock gods have been kind. The reformation of classic acts continued in 2017 (following Lush last year) we had Slowdive’s first new record in 22 years! The album has been critically praised, so have their live shows. In 2018 the quintet will tour Australia for the first time. Plus Slowdive’s Simon Scott has already confirmed that the band is hitting the studio next year, so a follow up release shouldn’t be another 20 years off. Speaking of, Ride also released their first new album in a few decades; ‘Weather Diaries’. The British rock legends teamed up with Erol Alkan and Alan Moulder (Nowhere/Going Blank Again) for the record. A welcome return. Not to forget fellow shoegaze luminaries Secret Shine who delivered a new long player, ‘There Is Only Now’. In the new year we can also finally get our hands on the vinyl remasters of My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Isn’t Anything’ and ‘Loveless’. Check out the Rolling Stone interview if you missed it, it’s an interesting read. According to Kevin, a new MBV LP may land mid-2018. Or mid-2028. One of the two. Maybe.

In terms of must-listen shoegaze albums, here are a handful…. First up, Pia Fraus’ decade long return with ‘Field Ceremony’. Everything Seksound puts out is quality and this record is flawless. The Estonian veterans make it sound easy. Another must is Airiel’s ‘Molten Young Lovers’ (released on Shelflife this October). Airiel’s second full length was worth the wait, and it was a long one. It’s dreamy, loud and danceable all at once. Don’t miss it. Brisbane-based shoegazers Deafcult delivered their debut album ‘Auras’ and it has barely left my record player. After their turbo-charged 2015 EP I wasn’t sure which direction they’d go. ‘Auras’ has depth and diversity. Love it. Fellow Aussie noise-makers Miniatures gave us another top shelf debut, ‘Jessamines’ (thanks to Saint Marie). The Kiwi ex-pats worked with producer Matthew Hosking to craft a layered gem. They’ve been creating amazing tunes since 2012 and its great to have a full length from them.

Colorado’s Gleemer gave us the dreamy ‘Anymore’ (via Other People Records). The dense and melodic LP is a DIY effort with plenty of punch. Gleemer are currently on tour throughout the U.S with Hundredth and Tennis System. Meanwhile Panda Riot returned with fresh tunes in 2017, delivering ‘Infinity Maps’ which was four years in the making. The LP is a worthy follow-up to 2013’s ‘Northern Automatic Music’ and weighs in with a hefty 18 songs. In June Leeds shoegazers Colour Of Spring delivered their self-titled EP, another stellar release. Their combination of fuzz and melody has attracted the attention of NME, Clash and The Line Of Best Fit. Brooklyn foursome Infinity Girl released their third full length ‘Somewhere Nice, Someday’ which is an easily digestible swan song. The band announced the record while telling fans it would be their last. Let’s hope that’s not the case.

Nebraska noisemakers See Through Dresses released their dreamy LP ‘Horse Of The Other World’ this year (through Tiny Engines). Since their debut LP in 2014 the band have toured through the U.S., Canada and Europe. Check them out if you haven’t already. Monster Movie returned in 2017, unleashing their first new material in seven years! The supergroup features Sean Hewson, Christian Savill (of Slowdive), James Harrison (Air Formation) and also Slowdive bassist Nick Chaplin. Ryan Graveface produced the record and its a fan favourite already. Meanwhile Brazil’s Devilish Dear released an equally explosive record called ‘These Sunny Days’. This one could easily fly under the radar, so don’t let it! L.A.’s Froth is another must. The quartet’s long player ‘Outside (briefly)’ isn’t a straight-up shoegaze record but it delivers great guitar-driven tunes. It’s an unpredictable and dynamic listen. To wrap up the 2017 shoegaze releases of note, do not miss the short but awesome split release by Kindling and Kestrels. It’s got two originals and two covers (of The Replacements and My Bloody Valentine). All rad. Lovely work Noyes Records! You’ll find those tracks in the playlist below.

Dream Pop. This year there was an eclectic crop. However, You’ll Never Get To Heaven immediately stands out. The Canadian duo released ‘Images’ through Yellow K Records. It just oozes class. This is highbrow dream pop done right! Excellent songwriting. The new album from London’s Plastic Flowers is also impressive. ‘Absent Forever’ marks his third LP, an analog recording with DIY charm. It was crafted while studying for a PhD… so kudos! In October, Run For Cover Records gave us the brilliant ‘III’ from Sweden’s Makthaverskan. For their third album the five-piece mellowed out (just a little) so their brand of post-punk has a dreamier sheen. I love it. Maja Milner’s vocals are packed with character.

Jangle Pop. Lo-fi/bedroom pop. This year we didn’t have a DIIV album to wade through. Maybe next year. BUT… May 5 was huge. Surely it’s not a coincidence that Day Wave, Hazel English, Hoops and Fazerdaze all released their twangy gems on the same day? There must have been a conference call! Anyways, those four albums typify a solid year for lovers of lo-fi melodies. Not to forget the brilliant EP from Surf Rock Is Dead. The Brooklyn-based duo (who hail from Melbourne and Chicago) gave us ‘We Have No Friends?’ It’s a genre-blending collection that does everything right. Can’t wait for a full length. Grab the EP via Native Sound. In fact, Native Sound is a label that deserves a standing ovation for releasing a tidal wave of great tunes this year. Thanks Julio! So that’s it, a landmark year. Perhaps the greatest batch of tunes since Sounds Better With Reverb started posting back in 2011.

NB: Please share your picks and/or notable omissions in the comments (click through the swirling logo, comments are in the footer). A few tunes have been omitted from the playlist because they are not available on Soundcloud. Sad! Next year this list will probably be on Spotify, because after many years in the desert they are now including plenty of indies. Cheers!

Shoegaze And Dream Pop Songs Of 2017

Notable Shoegaze And Dream Pop Albums Of 2017 (not all of ’em!)

RELEASE DATE ARTWORK ARTIST ALBUM GENRE 12/15/2017 Eyes Behind The Veil Grow [EP] Ambient/Dream Pop 12/01/2017 Mark Peters Innerland Instrumental/Dream Pop 12/01/2017 Molly Glimpse [EP] Post-Rock/Shoegaze 11/28/2017 All Sparks Burn Out Sunspots [EP] Shoegaze 11/24/2017 Death Of Lovers Acrobat New Wave/Dream Pop 11/24/2017 Sound And Fury Sprout Rock/Shoegaze 11/20/2017 The Telescopes Stone Tape Noise/Drone 11/17/2017 Gleemer Anymore Rock/Shoegaze 11/15/2017 Aerofall Forms Shoegaze 11/10/2017 Kindling Hush Rock/Shoegaze 11/10/2017 Lull Sea Change [EP] Rock/Shoegaze 11/10/2017 Plastic Flowers Absent Forever Dream Pop/Shoegaze 10/31/2017 Silver Liz I Can Feel The Weight Dream Pop/Shoegaze 10/27/2017 Glaare To Deaf And Day Dream Pop 10/23/2017 Brief Candles Retreater Rock/Shoegaze 10/20/2017 Lost Film Broken Spectre Indie/Jangle Pop 10/20/2017 Makthaverskan Ill Dream Pop/Post Punk 10/16/2017 Pia Fraus Field Ceremony Dream Pop/Shoegaze 10/13/2017 Airiel Molten Young Lovers Shoegaze/Dream Pop 10/13/2017 Dead Leaf Echo Beyond​.​Desire Shoegaze/Dream Pop 10/13/2017 The Luxembourg Signal Blue Field Rock/Shoegaze 10/06/2017 Miniatures Jessamines Shoegaze 10/06/2017 Sound Of Ceres The Twin Dream Pop/Electronic 10/06/2017 Surf Rock Is Dead We Have No Friends? [EP] Dream Pop/Jangle Pop 10/06/2017 To The Wedding

Here And Now / Silver Currents Rock/Dream Pop 09/29/2017 Fever Dream Squid Shoegaze 09/29/2017 Pure Phase Ensemble 6 Feat. Anton Newcombe Live At SpaceFest! Shoegaze/Psych Rock 09/26/2017 The Morelings Same Century Dream Pop/Psych 09/22/2017 Beliefs Habitat Dream Pop/Electronic 09/22/2017 Misty Coast Misty Coast Psych Pop/Dream Pop 09/22/2017 When The Sun Hits Immersed Within Your Eyes [EP] Shoegaze 09/15/2017 Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions Son Of A Lady [EP] Dream Pop 09/15/2017 Lacing Bummer Shoegaze 09/15/2017 Palm Haze Tangy Dream Rock/Shoegaze 09/08/2017 Nonconnah The Gloom & The Glowing Ambient/Shoegaze 09/01/2017 The Stargazer Lilies Lost Shoegaze/Psych 08/25/2017 Widowspeak Expect The Best Dream Pop/Indie 08/22/2017 Iris Iris [EP] Shoegaze 08/22/2017 SPC ECO Calm Shoegaze/Rock 08/18/2017 Cloakroom Time Well Shoegaze/Doom 08/11/2017 FOREVR Classics/Death Is A Miracle Shoegaze/Electronic 08/11/2017 Frankie Rose Cage Tropical Indie/Dream Pop 08/08/2017 Boys Dreamland [EP] Dream Pop/Jangle Pop 08/08/2017 Infinity Girl Somewhere Nice, Someday Rock/Shoegaze 08/03/2017 The Sorry Shop Softspoken Shoegaze 07/20/2017 Foliage Silence Dream Pop/Jangle Pop 07/14/2017 My Favourite Things Fly I Will, Because I Can Dream Pop/Indie 07/14/2017 See Through Dresses Horse Of The Other World Dream Pop/Shoegaze 07/07/2017 Star Tropics Lost World Dream Pop/Jangle Pop 07/07/2017 The Telescopes As Light Return Noise/Drone 07/04/2017 Slowly Unfold Shoegaze 06/30/2017 Au.Ra Cultivations Dream Pop/Indie 06/30/2017 Blankenberge Radiogaze Shoegaze/Dream Pop 06/30/2017 Deafcult Auras Shoegaze 06/23/2017 Colour Of Spring Colour Of Spring [EP] Shoegaze 06/16/2017 Morels Drift Shoegaze/Psych 06/16/2017 Jefre Cantu-Ledesma On The Echoing Green Experimental/Shoegaze 06/16/2017 Ride Weather Diaries Rock/Shoegaze 06/13/2017 Bellavista Sun & Skyway Shoegaze/Psych Rock 06/12/2017 Hundredth Rare Shoegaze/Post hardcore 06/09/2017 Cigarettes After Sex Cigarettes After Sex Indie/Dream Pop 06/09/2017 Panda Riot Infinity Maps Shoegaze/Dream Pop 06/08/2017 We. the pigs DK48 EP2 [EP] Shoegaze/Dream Pop 06/02/2017 Sleep Party People Lingering Psych/Dream Pop 06/02/2017 Reighnbeau Hide [EP] Electronic/Shoegaze 06/02/2017 Ulrika Spacek Modern English Decoration Rock/Shoegaze 06/02/2017 The Veldt The Shocking Fuzz... [EP - World Release] Dream Pop/Electronic 06/01/2017 Schonwald Night Idyll Coldwave/Dream Pop 05/19/2017 Is Bliss The Honeycomb Explosion [EP] Psych Rock/Shoegaze 05/12/2017 Overlake Fall Rock/Shoegaze 05/05/2017 Day Wave The Days We Had Indie/Jangle Pop 05/05/2017 Fazerdaze Morningside Indie/Jangle Pop 05/05/2017 Hazel English Just Give In / Never Going Home [Double EP] Indie/Jangle Pop 05/05/2017 Hoops Routines Lo-fi/Jangle/Dream Pop 05/05/2017 Slowdive Slowdive Dream Pop/Shoegaze 04/28/2017 Alter Pendulum Shoegaze/Post-Rock 04/28/2017 Weed Born Wrong Love Rock/Noise Rock 04/28/2017 Sheer Psychic Quarry [EP] Rock/Shoegaze 04/28/2017 Soon, She Said The First Casualty... Rock/Shoegaze 04/24/2017 93millionmilesfromthesun The Lonely Sea & The Sky Shoegaze/Psych 04/20/2017 Kindling / Kestrels Split [EP] Shoegaze 04/14/2017 Percolator Sestra Rock/Shoegaze 04/14/2017 Plaza Wernotplaza [EP] Rock/Shoegaze 04/12/2017 DIV I DED Transformation Dream Pop/Shoegaze 04/07/2017 Tashaki Miyaki The Dream Indie/Dream Pop 03/31/2017 Monster Movie Keep The Voices Distant Rock/Shoegaze 03/29/2017 The Age of Colored Lizards Another Day [EP] Shoegaze/Rock 03/24/2017 Jesus and Mary Chain Damage & Joy Rock/Indie 03/24/2017 Trementina 810 Indie/Dream Pop 03/24/2017 You'll Never Get To Heaven Images Ambient/Dream Pop 03/23/2017 Seasurfer Under The Milkyway​.​.​. Who Cares? Shoegaze/Dream Pop 03/17/2017 Orchin Orchin [EP] Shoegaze/Dream Pop 03/16/2017 Secret Shine There Is Only Now Shoegaze/Rock 03/10/2017 Spectres Condition Noise/Experimental 03/03/2017 Life On Venus Encounters Shoegaze 02/24/2017 Froth Outside (briefly) Rock/Shoegaze 02/24/2017 Funeral Advantage Please Help Me [EP] Jangle Pop/Indie 02/24/2017 Kindling No Generation [EP] Rock/Shoegaze 02/22/2017 Venn Venn [EP] New Wave/Shoegaze 02/10/2017 Letting Up Despite Great Faults Alexander Devotion [EP] Indie/Dream Pop 02/10/2017 SPC ECO Under My Skin [EP] Electronic/Dream Pop 01/31/2017 Soft Lashes Hypersensuality Shoegaze/Dream Pop 01/27/2017 Devilish Dear These Sunny Days Rock/Shoegaze 01/23/2017 The Cherry Wave Shimaru Post Punk/Noise Rock 01/21/2017 Astreal Light Rock/Shoegaze 01/20/2017 Drab Majesty The Demonstration Synth Pop/Shoegaze 01/20/2017 Ulrich Schnauss & Jonas Munk Passage Electronic/Ambient 01/20/2017 No Sun If Only Shoegaze/Post hardcore 01/13/2017 Blushing Tether [EP] Dream Pop 01/06/2017 Cherry Crush Turning [EP] Rock/Shoegaze 01/03/2017 Lazy Legs Chain Of Pink Shoegaze

For more shoegaze and dream pop albums and songs of 2017 visit the blog page.