Ringo Deathstarr helped spearhead a new generation of shoegaze exploration.

The Stateside group have built a formidable catalogue, one augmented by live shows bolstering significant power.

Ringo Deathstarr's new album, however, could be the closest we get to the people inside that furious noise.

Songwriting informed by the birth of Elliot Frazer's child and the loss of Alex Gehring's mother, it finds the Texan trio burrowing inwards.

Set alongside this autobiography, however, are layers of sound, with their dreamy shoegaze rendered with fresh intensity.

Alex Gehring looks back on Ringo Deathstarr's formative influences...

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Cocteau Twins - 'Heaven Or Las Vegas'



It's impossible for me to pick a favourite album of theirs, but 'Heaven Or Las Vegas' is regarded as a classic.

I think this band is perfect in every way, Liz's haunting vocal melodies floating on top of sparkling guitar and driving bass - I can't think of anything more influential to me when writing music. They are completely unique and, I believe, in a league of their own.

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Dinosaur Jr. - 'You're Living All Over Me'



I had this on tape, back when cars had tape players, and I completely wore it out. Listening to this album will forever remind me of driving my old, beat up car, with the windows down, cruising around in the Texas summer.

Every song on this album is a hit, and it needs to be played at full volume, or better yet, seen performed live while you stand in front of a wall of Marshall stacks.

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Swirlies



I tried to pick an album but my favorite songs are spread all over their catalogue. I remember the first time Elliott played Sarah Sitting for me during the Mauve sessions, it completely blew me away.

'Tall Ships', also on 'What To Do About Them' is such an amazing song. 'Blonder Tongue Audio Baton' was the first album of theirs that I had, and I kept Jeremy Parker on repeat.

After seeing them live, though, I really fell in love with the song 'San Cristobal De Las Casas' and dove deeper into 'They spent their wild...' album.

The short answer to this question is to just listen to every Swirlies album, you can't go wrong.

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Sonic Youth - 'Dirty'



I don't think there has ever been, or ever will be, a band as cool as Sonic Youth. Their catalogue is expansive and incredibly impressive.

This is another band that was hard to pick a favorite album, but I had to give it to 'Dirty'! 'Swimsuit Issue', '100%', 'Drunken Butterfly'... this album is packed with hit after hit.

I think they are influential in so many ways, to so many genres. From guitar sound, to vocal style, lyrics, song structure - they are so unique and so impactful.

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Enya - 'Shepherd Moon'



I grew up listening to Enya, she was my Mom's favorite. My sister and I loved her music so much that we named our first childhood cat Blue after the song 'Caribbean Blue'.

I feel like she was my gateway drug - as I got older and out of my N*SYNC phase, I realised I wanted more music that reminded me on Enya. Haunting vocals, beautiful harmonies... and then I found Cocteau Twins which lead me to Curve, Lush, Cranes, etc.

She shaped the way I write music, and greatly influences what music appeals to me, especially from a nostalgia sense.

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‘Ringo Deathstarr’ out via Club AC30 / The Reverberation Appreciation Society on March 27th.

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