Shoegaze is very much having a moment right now. That much is apparent from the proliferation of new, young shoegaze acts like Wisp and Sign Crushes Motorist picking up steam on social media to the resurgence in popularity as evidenced by progenitors like Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine. Even archival label The Numero Group is recovering lost classics like Majesty Crush’s Butterflies Don’t Go Away for a reissue, giving it another chance in the limelight. Although they don’t hail from the subgenre’s ‘90s prime, it feels like an auspicious moment for Blushing.
Based in Austin, the double married-couple quartet, composed of Christina and Noe Carmona plus Michelle and Jacob Soto, adds a jolt of adrenalized volume to their hook-heavy strain of dream-pop. Sugarcoat, their new album, overflows with enveloping, luxurious guitar tones and translucent atmospherics with production that feels nonetheless defined, thanks to the mixing, engineering, and mastering from Ride’s Mark Gardener and Ringo Deathstarr’s Elliott Frazier. From start to finish, Sugarcoat makes a strong case for Blushing as one of the best new shoegaze bands around.
Following the record’s release this Friday, Christina and Michelle sat down with Uproxx to talk about skipping school to see Nine Inch Nails, staying in a place on tour where the walls were lined with copies of Shrek, and collecting Korok seeds in The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom in our latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Christina – fuzzy, sunny, colorful, hooks.
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
Christina – I think I’d like to be remembered as a band that wrote music with a lot of sonic variety.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
Christina – Probably my parents (sorry if that’s cheesy!). They are musicians that were able to continue performing and making music while providing for my brother and me, which is really inspiring to me.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life and what was it?
Michelle – Best Quality Daughter in San Antonio, I got the Panang curry dan dan noodles.
Christina – Sushi is my favorite but I have a particularly fond memory of an okonomiyaki spot we found in Harajuku.
Tell us about the best concert you’ve ever attended.
Christina – Nine Inch Nails at Stubb’s BBQ in 2005. They were my favorite band, so I skipped school and had the best time.
