Nu gaze (sometimes called newgaze) refers to a form of

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

that originated in the 2000s that is directly influenced by the primarily British

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. A renewed interest in shoegaze occurred in the early 2000s when bands such as

Maps A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes. Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...

My Vitriol My Vitriol are a British alternative rock band, formed in 1999 in London. The band currently comprises singer and guitarist Som Wardner, drummer Ravi Kesavaram, guitarist Seth Taylor and bassist Tatia Starkey. The band had success with their de ...

Silversun Pickups Silversun Pickups is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles that was formed in 2000. The band is composed of Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao, and Joe Lester. The band released their debut EP, '' Pikul'', in July 2 ...

, and

The Radio Dept. The Radio Dept. is a Swedish dream pop band from Lund. History In 1995, schoolmates Elin Almered and Johan Duncanson started a band which they named after a gas-station-turned-radio-repair-shop called "Radioavdelningen" (Swedish language, Swedish ...

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

, instead stating humorously, "I guess you could call us nu gaze". According to an article in ''

The Oxford Student ''The Oxford Student'' is a newspaper produced by and for students of the University of Oxford; often abbreviated to ''The OxStu''. The paper was established in 1991 by the Oxford University Student Union (Oxford SU) and is published every for ...

'', 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 synthesizers and drum tracks. The ambient guitar band

Hammock A hammock (from Spanish , borrowed from Taíno and Arawak ) is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two or more points, used for swing (seat), swinging, sleeping, or Human relaxation, resting. It normally consists of one ...

, based in Nashville, Tennessee is notable for their ambient rock that combines elements of

and

ambient Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to: Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds * Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere * ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby * ...

music.

Ulrich Schnauss Ulrich Schnauss (born 1977) is a German electronic musician and producer based in London, England. He is best known for being a member of Tangerine Dream from 2014 to 2020. Biography Ulrich Schnauss was born in the northern German seaport of ...

' 2007 album

Goodbye Goodbye, Good bye, or Good-bye is a parting phrase and may refer to: Film * ''Goodbye'' (1918 film), a British drama directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Goodbye'' (1995 film) (''Tot Ziens!''), a Dutch film directed by Heddy Honigmann * ''Goodbye'' ...

demonstrates the influence of techno and ambient music on the Nu Gaze genre. Ulrich collaborates and performs with numerous artists such as

Tangerine Dream Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music band founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The group has seen many personnel changes over the years, with Froese having been the only constant member until his death in January 2015. The best-known lineup ...

and The Engineers.

Examples

* ''

Finelines ''Finelines'' is the debut studio album by the British rock band My Vitriol. It was released on 5 March 2001 through Infectious Records. Initially consisting of a duo, My Vitriol released their debut EP ''Delusions of Grandeur'' (1998), before exp ...

'' by

has been cited as the first nu gaze album * "

Panic Switch "Panic Switch" is a song by the American alternative rock band Silversun Pickups. It was the first single released from the group's second album, '' Swoon'' (2009), on March 17, 2009. The song reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Alternative So ...

" by

References

Shoegaze British styles of music British rock music genres American rock music genres {{music-genre-stub