Drop Nineteens - "Scapa Flow"

In the late 80s and early 90s, the shoegaze genre was overwhelmingly dominated by British acts.  The legendary bands of the era like My Bloody Valentine, Lush, Slowdive, and Ride all came of age across the pond, largely (and somewhat unfairly) overshadowing the noteworthy contributions of a small, but mighty group of American bands. One such band is Boston’s Drop Nineteens, whose classic 1993 debut record, Delaware, stands as one of the pillars of the shoegaze genre on this side of the Atlantic. To the delight of fans like myself, the band announced their triumphant return recently. They’ll be playing a string of live dates and releasing an entire record of brand new material called 19. The band recently shared the lead single, “Scapa Flow.”

“Scapa Flow” possesses many of the hallmarks of the greatest songs from Delaware, but with sharper edges. The band are experts at manipulating noise to their advantage while still creating lots of space for their well worn, sedative melodies and languid guitars. 

Stream the track below!

For more info on the band’s upcoming tour dates, which includes a stop at Warsaw in Brooklyn on October 13th, give them a follow on Instagram. 19 is available to pre-order via Bandcamp.