DROWNING IN MELANCHOLY is a curated music site run by a writer who loves melancholic music more than anything, spotlighting dark shoegaze, dream pop, and related sounds.
Shoegaze possesses a singular character: whispered, floating vocals drifting through storms of feedback and noise, paired with melodies that feel sweet and almost dissolving. Many listeners seek “healing” or even “salvation” in this music.
For a long time, I primarily listened to decadent shoegaze and dream pop from overseas. However, a certain experience led me to develop a deep interest in the Japanese shoegaze scene. As I attended more and more live shows, I began to feel that Japan tends to favor music that is pop-oriented and catchy.
I genuinely enjoy that kind of music as well. Yet, being a pessimist at heart, I could appreciate it only on a surface level—I could never truly find “salvation” in it. It is often said that humans remember pain and sorrow more vividly than joy. If that is the case, then a heart weighed down by sadness cannot be overwritten by happiness. For me, the only remedy is an even deeper sorrow.
Music that stays beside you when you are drowning at the bottom of grief—this is the kind of music I cannot help but love. Some may wonder whether such shoegaze even exists. It does. Though rare, it undeniably exists.
Believing that there are many others who share this sensibility, I founded this review site dedicated exclusively to dark shoegaze.
Because our criteria are intentionally loose—“if it has even a single trace of shoegaze, it qualifies”—this site inevitably includes a wide range of works from adjacent genres, such as neoclassical, ethereal wave, darkwave, post-punk, post-rock, post-metal, post-black metal, and atmospheric doom metal. We appreciate your understanding.
As many artists today focus primarily on releasing EPs, our “Best Albums” selections are not limited to full-length records; EPs are also eligible.
In addition to brief written comments, each review features a graphical breakdown based on five parameters: Dark, Heavy, Noisy, Fast, and Extreme. Simply put, the further the meter swings to the right, the more unhinged it is.
Now then—let the journey into the world of dark shoegaze begin.
