Speaking directly to millennials and older, remember when we burned CDs with the right set of songs in mind? That’s right; consider how burned CDs and mixtapes predated modern-day streaming playlists. Our mixtapes were either for personal use or often a gift to someone else. In the 70s and 80s, most mixtapes were recorded on a cassette tape. In the digital age, we burned mixed CDs that are most likely still among millennials’ CD collections today. I’d love to see a mixtape comeback in some physical way rather than streaming playlists.
Shoegaze bands are mixtape must-haves as their wall-of-sound effects mixed with ethereal lyrics often transports you to another planet. If you’re looking to include shoegaze, here are three must-have songs.
“dark spring” by beach house
Beach House is a must-have for any mixtape. This album opener turns alarming towards the end of the track. It’s one of Beach House’s most shoegaze songs, as the group heavily leans more into dreampop. Released in 2018, Beach House’s 7 is an extremely meditative album, laced with trippy space sounds that will take you places. “Dark Spring” can easily serve as a connector between two energetic mixtape songs. Additionally, it’s the perfect song for a calm evening drive.
“drown” by the smashing pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins don’t get enough credit for their shoegaze contributions in the 1990s. This is largely due to how they blended many genres into one sound. They simply didn’t fit into a single category. One of their most shoegaze songs was released as a promotional single in 1992. It became a fan favorite upon release and was included on the movie soundtrack for the film Singles.
The extended, feedback-heavy ending was left off the version later featured on the band’s Greatest Hits in 2001. For your shoegaze mixtape, you’ll want to use the original 1992 single version of “Drown”.
“when the sun hits” by slowdive
You can’t discuss shoegaze without these pioneers. Slowdive helped define shoegaze in the early 90s. One of their most notable tracks, “When The Sun Hits”, is certainly a must-have for any serious shoegaze mixtape. I’m confident that this 1993 track was featured on countless mixtapes throughout the 1990s. Many songs from their 1991 debut Just For A Day and their 1993 sophomore album, Souvlaki, are touchstones of early shoegaze.
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