There are few current bands that equally do both of the following:
- Cling tightly to the hallmarks of first-wave shoegaze
- Don't sound like boneless MBV
And, often times, when a band manages to do both, they tend to sound pretty far-removed from the genre. Or, in the worst of cases, it sounds like bandwagon-jumping.
But the best case scenario is a result like Glixen. Where lots of 'nu-gaze' bands start to lose the plot (at least in the ears of shoegaze oldheads like yours truly) is in the choice of introducing too much heft. While Glixen is certainly no stranger to delivering monolithic waves of fuzz, it's always balanced in equal measure with a sensuality that I think tends to be the underlying element of what really defines the genre.
On "Unwind," that sensuality is dialed to eleven. The drums and bass sound informed by early 90s R&B slow jams. At the halfway point, there's some headphone candy with swirling guitars, but most prominently is a series of "oohs" and "ahhs" that further push the track toward a point of sensual bliss.
"Unwind" genuinely satisfies the part of me that can't get enough 'trad-gaze,' but also makes me ecstatic with anticipation for whatever comes next, knowing it will scratch the itch I have for hearing the genre move forward. I'm genuinely stoked to be alive while Glixen is making music.
★ GLIXEN LIVE 2026 ★
MARCH
12 – Nagoya, JP – Huck Finn
13 – Osaka, JP – Pangea
14 – Kyoto, JP – Urbanguild
15 – Tokyo, JP – Nine Spices
16 – Tokyo, JP – Fever
APRIL
10 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger *+
11 – Houston, TX – The Secret Group *+
13 – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa *+
14 – Orlando, FL – The Social *+
15 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade – Hell *+
16 – Asheville, NC – Eulogy *+
17 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506 *+
18 – Washington, DC – Union Stage *+
19 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church *+
21 – Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere Hall *+
22 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair *+
23 – Montreal, QC – Theatre Fairmount *+
24 – Toronto, ON – Hard Luck *+
25 – Ferndale, MI – The Loving Touch *+
26 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop *+
28 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge +#
29 – Minneapolis, MN – Amsterdam Bar & Hall +#
MAY
1 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck #$
2 – Denver, CO – Marquis #$
3 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court #$
4 – Boise, ID – Shrine Basement #$
5 – Seattle, WA – Substation #$
6 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre #$
8 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel #$
9 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom #$
10 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar #$
12 – Phoenix, AZ – Walter Studios #$
13 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad #$
15 – Austin, TX – Brushy Street Commons #$
16 – Dallas, TX – Trees #$
JUNE
26-28 - Manchester, UK - Outbreak Festival
* - w/ Her New Knife
+ - w/ Knifeplay
# - w/ Keep
$ - w/ Money