By: Kayleigh Drake

Recommended if you like – Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine’s entire post-Ecstasy catalog, and the scene at the end of “The Neverending Story” when Atreyu is riding Falkor through space.

One thing about me: I go HARD for some shoegaze. Specifically, shoegaze from the late 80s and early 90s, i.e., when the term was first coined to (somewhat pejoratively) describe an influx of bands who simply Could Not Quit Their Pedalboards.

I’ve long been a fan of bands like My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Slowdive and other British Isles-based shoegazers, but I’m also very much into their American counterparts — specifically Drop Nineteens, a five-piece based out of Boston. That’s why my interest was fully piqued when I heard about them releasing what is essentially a “lost album” called 1991.

As the album title indicates, all of the songs on this record were originally recorded in 1991. (That’s 34 years ago, for anyone who’s counting.) According to the Drop Nineteens Bandcamp page, “This LP comprises the band’s first two demo sessions which were mailed out via cassette to labels in 1991.” After signing with Caroline Records, though, the band shelved the songs and wrote an entirely new record (which turned out to be 1992’s Delaware). Those 1991 songs were essentially “frozen in time” from that point on — until now.

So, right there we already have a compelling story behind this record. Now let’s dig into how it sounds.

To me, shoegaze in general is perfect airplane music. It’s the ultimate soundtrack for looking out the window as you pass over the billowing clouds, and that is precisely the vibe that this album brings. It oozes with dreamy, spacey guitar effects, from chorus to reverb to phaser, and it truly feels like you’re flying through the atmosphere when you listen to it.

Right off the bat, the first track, “Daymom,” sounds just like early Slowdive. (It honestly could have been on the tracklist of Just For a Day and I wouldn’t have known the difference.) And really, a lot of this album is very, very Slowdive-y, including the next track, “Song for JJ.”

“Back In Our Old Bed” starts to veer ever-so-slightly into MBV territory, and “Soapland” drifts into some floaty Slowdive-meets-Cocteau Twins turf. Then we get to “Mayfield,” which is my personal fave from the album. With its energetic, snarey drums, it literally sounds like a hidden track from MBV’s You Made Me Realise EP (which, side note, I have an out-of-print copy of on CD — hashtag just music nerd shit).

“Shannon Waves” is another one of my faves (unintentional rhyme time!), and it was one of the first singles they released from 1991. It’s a soaring, instrumental bop laden with swirling guitars and a phaser-y thrum buried underneath, and it’s quite possibly the most “airplaney-est” song on the record.

“Kissing the Sea” starts out with an ethereal, chorus-laden intro that would be right at home on Heaven Or Las Vegas, and “Snowbird” also incorporates some of that Cocteau Twins energy. And finally, we arrive at “Another Summer,” which is the perfect album closer and the closest we get to a pop song on this record.

I’ll note that, if you’re expecting catchy, melodic hooks a la “Winona” from Delaware, you won’t find many of those on this album. But if you’re into really shoegaze-y shit, as am I, then you’re going to fall in love with this record (as did I).

Best paired with: A sleeve of Biscoff cookies, ice-cold Chardonnay, and a window seat on Delta Air Lines.