Shoegaze is quite the peculiar genre. It features “ethereal, swirling vocals with layers of distorted, bent, or flanged guitars,” and the latest release by The First Eloi titled “Shoe Button Eyes” represents exactly what the genre entails.
The band, formed in 2022 and hailing from Hamburg, Germany, talks about losing your emotions in the track, inspired by an old horror comic story from the 50s by William Gaines. “Shoe Button Eyes” opens up with the soft vocals of the lead singer, Enid, a Gen-Z singer/bassist/lyricist, with strong bold guitar strikes.
The first verse kicks up pace with a more full sound, as Enid’s vocals echo throughout the track with a breathy and airy tone. “Shoe Button Eyes” features one hell of a guitar solo that finishes the track on a high note, leaving you wanting more.
The First Eloi’s name is a reference to H.G. Wells’ 1895 novel, The Time Machine, which tells the story of the Utopian people named the Eloi. “As we approach H.G. Wells’ vision of the future,” writes the band on Bandcamp, “This shoegaze band has been formed by two noise and post-punk veterans along with a younger singer and bassist.”
Their previous release was in March, with a single titled “Hide & Seek” and it follows the same blueprint of dreamy high vocals accompanying the strums of the electric guitar that sounds like the soundtrack to your daydreaming. In a nutshell, if you’re looking for some downtime to listen to something entirely new, The First Eloi is the band for you.
