Secret Shine are a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

band formed in the early 1990s, who were signed to

Sarah Records Sarah Records was a British independent record label active in Bristol between 1987 and 1995, best known for its recordings of indie pop, which it released mostly on 7" singles. On reaching the catalogue number SARAH 100, the label celebrated it ...

. Their early releases with Sarah and A Turntable Friend followed a pop style, before the band went in a more

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 ...

direction with the 1992 release ''Untouched'', triggering comparisons with

Slowdive Slowdive is a British rock band that formed in Reading, Berkshire, in 1989. The band consists of Rachel Goswell on vocals and guitar, Neil Halstead on vocals and guitar, Christian Savill on guitar, Nick Chaplin on bass and Simon Scott on drum ...

and My Bloody Valentine.

Career

1990 to 1996

The group originally formed under the name Amelia's Dream. After sending a three-song demo to

, Scott Purnell and Jamie Gingell recorded their first single for the label, "After Years". After recruiting three more members (Nick Dyte, Dean Purnell, and Paul Vowles) they recorded "Unbearable", a single for the German label A Turntable Friend. The addition of Dean Tyler to the lineup was followed by the single "Ephemeral" on Sarah. Later, Purnell and Gingell recorded some demos that became the ''Untouched'' album. In 1993 the album was recorded and released, along with the single "Loveblind". The addition of vocalist Kathryn Smith saw the band enter the Indie charts and become part of the emerging

scene. At that point, the band took a hiatus as Purnell and Gingell returned to complete their final year of university, but the band subsequently reformed and recorded the ''Greater than God'' EP. After the recording of the ''Each to the Other'' flexidisc, Dean Tyler left the band, followed by Nick Dyte. Tim Morris joined on drums, the rest of the lineup being Jamie Gingell (vocals and bass), Scott Purnell (guitars), Dean Purnell (guitars), and Kathryn Smith (vocals). The next single, "Wasted Away", was released on Spoiler Records as Sarah had recently folded. After playing a gig in Oxford in early 1996, the band decided to stop, though they never officially split.

2004 to Present

In 2004, a retrospective collection called ''After Years'' was released by the Tonevendor label, containing all their Sarah material (apart from the first single, and including the ''Untouched'' album), which became a catalyst for the band reforming. Around this time, Tim Morris died, and the band reformed to record an acoustic eight-track tribute record, ''Morris''. Another album, ''All of The Stars'', was released on 8 April 2008, followed by ''The Beginning and the End'' on 5 January 2011. In October 2014 Secret Shine signed with

and

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

record label Saint Marie Records. The next full-length album, ''There Is Only Now'', was released on 17 March 2017. On 25 June 2020 the band self-released a new single ''Ember''. In an interview around that time the band said that this was intended to be the first of five single releases during 2020-2021 that would be form the basis of a new album in 2021, to mark the band's 30th anniversary.

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Tracks on Compilations

References

External links

*Official Bandcamp page https://secretshine.bandcamp.com/music
Band MySpace page
* Secret Shine on Allmusicbr>Sarah Records entryOpusZine review
{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups disestablished in 1996 Musical groups reestablished in 2004 Musical groups disestablished in 2007 English indie rock groups Shoegazing musical groups Dream pop musical groups Sarah Records artists 1991 establishments in England Musical groups from Bristol 2004 establishments in England