The etymology of ‘shoegaze’ comes from guitar-playing introverts with eyes fixated on a series of pedals, and it has come at times to represent a dreamscape. Floating weightlessly over clouds of sonic vapor in between wake and sleep, we cannot resist hitting our snooze buttons to indulge in escapism. For that reason, Joachim Liebens aka The Haunted Youth’s new single, ‘“Shadows”, will be my go-to alarm replacing Slowdive’s “Sugar for the Pill”.
Written, composed, and produced by Liebens, mixed by Tobie Speleman and mastered by Jeffrey de Gans, it embodies all the sensibility of the shoegaze genre. “Shadows” gives us a sonic facsimile of the shimmering soundscapes of Beach House, fuzz of The Jesus and Mary Chain and lo-fi charm of Day Waves.
“It’s a song about being stuck in a place where you don’t belong,” Liebens says of “Shadows”, “And where nobody understands or even listens to you.”
You will listen. His intimate, repeating vocals draw you into his storyline. He hails from the Belgian city of Hasselt, which, despite hosting the legendary Pukkelpop festival, is a location where you just may feel trapped musically. While he may not be tap dancing on an army of pedals, without question he belongs here, and his immersive sound drags us there to join him while we wait to see what he brings us next.
Listen to “Shadows” below or on your preferred streaming platform.
You can find The Haunted Youth on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
