If Not Winter

San Francisco-raised songwriter Wisp has become the face of the shoegaze revival that has infiltrated the rock world in the mid-2020s. It’s easy to see why: Her catchy melodies are buried beneath layers and layers of guitar, the drums boom and crash, the basslines keep the ship afloat. Though she’s been compared to genre icons of yore like Slowdive and The Jesus and Mary Chain, she views herself more in the realm of dream-pop bands. “I love all those bands for sure, but I think the bands that I take the most influence from are definitely more dream-poppy bands,” she tells Apple Music. “So I grew up listening to a lot of Beach House, Cocteau Twins, and I definitely take inspiration from them, especially vocal-wise and how I sing in my music.” Cacophonies of melodious noise surrounds Wisp on <i>If Not Winter</i>, and her voice manages to pierce through and rise to the top. Take “After dark”, which buzzes with crisp guitar lines and sloshing hi-hats. Her vocals move through the composition like a fever dream, yearning for something she can’t quite reach. This emphasis on emotion and lyrical prowess was a focal point for Wisp while creating the album. “I try to put as much emotion as I can into my own music, and I always try to write about something that is true to me and something that I'm feeling,” she says. “And that way it doesn't feel faked or it doesn't feel ingenuine to my sound.”