Photo by Sophia Álvarez

The secret is out that shoegaze is having a moment thanks to a newfound interest in the genre with younger listeners across virtual community spaces, and Wisp — the enigmatic teenage Los Angeles-based songwriter who has already seen her singles go viral for it — may very well be at the forefront of it all. With the announcement of her debut EP — a major label debut, at that, as she’s inked a deal with Interscope Records — this next gen will be getting its first proper test, with the EP’s latest single, “Enough for you”, begging the question of how much can you transform a style of underground rock which has its roots entwined in a niche aesthetic crafted for dorm rooms and psych fest zone outs into something massive without losing yourself in it. Guitar currents, as if made of liquid chrome, wave heavily along the path in denser matter, and while Wisp’s vocals are slowly but surely making their way to the surface, they intentionally never allow themselves to reach it, complimentary to her desperately longing melancholia. This is to say that she may be the first definitive example of an artist from a generation raised on Deftones, Phoebe Bridgers, and Whirr to put their inspos all together on the same sonic plane. But is it still shoegaze? The fact that this question now needs to be asked makes it all the more intriguing to keep listening…

Directed by: Nick Vernet & Sophia Álvarez

Wisp’s Pandora will be released April 5th on Interscope Records.