The Big Guide to Russian Shoegaze: How Slavic Sadness Meets a Collective Longing

When I first discovered bands like Pinkshinyultrablast, Life on Venus, and Blankenberge, I assumed they were local secrets. It was a surprise to learn that they have a massive cult following among an international shoegaze audience. I have been reflecting on this phenomenon - why these specific sounds resonate so deeply across the globe - and I think I have an explanation.

The “Slavic soul” has long been defined by a specific type of sadness Toska (тоска) - not a sharp, acute grief, but a vast, lingering melancholy coexisting along with gray landscapes, brutalist architecture, and long winters. Shoegaze, by its very nature, is the perfect vessel for this. The genre’s trademark walls of sound, swirling reverb, and distant melodies mirror the feeling of being lost in a fog or looking at a frozen horizon. Imagine riding the Trans-Siberian Express: leaning your forehead against the cold glass of the window as thousands of miles of taiga blur into a singular, smeared streak of white and grey.

This sense of deep reflection and longing is amplified by the ethereal, melancholic vocals—predominantly female—that float above the distortion. In the tradition of dream pop icons like the Cocteau Twins or Slowdive, these voices don’t fight the wall of sound; they drift through it like ghosts. This “ethereal wave” of sound provides a sonic space large enough to hold the weight of that historical and cultural toska.

This music resonates today because the once-distinct “Slavic sadness” has come to embody a shared sense of collective longing—a place to disappear from the harshness of the world. Bands like Life on Venus and Blankenberge capture this hazy, twilight feeling so vividly that it now speaks far beyond Russia, proving that toska is a universal language of the heart, best expressed through echoes, whispers, and blurred soundscapes. In Mexico City or Tokyo, people may not know the words, but they recognize the ache and the sadness.

Tracing the journey from local basements to global shoegaze playlists, here are 10 essential bands defining the modern Russian shoegaze landscape.

1. Life on Venus

The masters of melancholy and Slavic sadness, Life on Venus is the go-to band for listeners who want their shoegaze with a heavy dose of nostalgia and heartbreak. This is the more introspective, dream-pop side of the genre. It’s gray, romantic, and feels like staring out a rain-streaked window in a big city—music for those quiet moments when you’re feeling fragile but still want to hear something big.

2. Lugovye Mari

Lugovye Mari is arguably one of the most interesting shoegaze projects in Russia right now. Hailing from the Volga River basin, they explore the fragile identity of the Mari people, often called “Europe’s last pagans.” Based in the Republic of Mari El, the band draws from a culture whose nature-based traditions and language are now at risk of disappearing. With the Mari language recognized by UNESCO as an endangered language, Lugovye Mari use music as a way to preserve and honor their heritage, writing exclusively in their native tongue. Through the lens of shoegaze, they create a soundscape that mirrors the Republic itself—hazy, nostalgic, and beautifully distorted. It is a sonic tribute to a heritage worth saving.

3. Blankenberge

Based in Saint Petersburg, Blankenberge is known for creating massive, cinematic soundscapes often described as “dream-noise.” Their music follows a “slow build” style, where quiet melodies eventually grow into crushing waves of distortion. There is a certain melancholy in their sound that feels uniquely tied to the gray, damp atmosphere of Saint Petersburg, yet it carries a universal sense of longing.

4. Pinkshinyultrablast

Formed in Saint Petersburg, Pinkshinyultrablast were the first band in the scene to truly break into the international market. They are best known for a sound dubbed “thunder-gaze”—a collision of angelic, high-pitched vocals and massive, crystalline walls of sound. By focusing on technical complexity rather than gritty lo-fi, they proved that Russian shoegaze could achieve a world-class level of production and success.

5. AEROFALL

Based in Rostov-on-Don, Aerofall crafts a sound defined by “crystalline indietronica” and high-energy melodies that breathe new life into the spirit of classic shoegaze. Their music strikes a unique balance between dense walls of guitar and a raw, garage-leaning drive, creating immersive soundscapes layered with textures and distant, emotive vocals. Signed to the Japanese label Hands and Moment (home to bands like Soft Cult and Blushing), the band brings a punchy, rhythmic edge to the genre, pairing languid female vocals with a powerful energy that sets them apart within the Russian indie scene.

6. WYYM

A rising act from Saint Petersburg, WYYM delivers a raw and abrasive sound influenced by ’90s alternative rock and emo. They lean toward the heavier side of shoegaze, focusing on high-gain guitar textures and aggressive, surging energy.

7. акульи слёзы (Shark Tears)

Based in Ufa, Shark’s Tears are a four-piece, all-female band delivering a signature blend of atmospheric dream-pop and shoegaze, marked by a viscous, lingering sound and hypnotic lyrical repetition. Their songs focus on familiar themes of love, creating a serene and dreamy mood that sets them apart from the genre’s more traditionally dark tone. This lighter, melodic approach has led to frequent comparisons with bands such as Beach House.

8. Dog Silent

Based in Moscow, Dog Silent crafts a sound that wanders between genres and shifts from delicate melodies to immersive noise. Their music blends elements of shoegaze, dream-pop, and textured indie rock into atmospheric, guitar-driven tracks that feel like a flight through boundless space.

9. Subway Porno

Formed in 2017, Subway Porno are a shoegaze and noise-pop band from Samara. Their sound bridges classic 1990s shoegaze with modern psychedelic pop, drawing influence from acts such as Slowdive and Title Fight. Their debut full-length Memory Motel, along with earlier EPs and singles, explores themes of nostalgia and memory.

10. Dog Wave

Based in Moscow, Dog Wave is a shoegaze/noise rock band that mixes jazz progressions, melancholic lyrics, emo aesthetics and dynamic noisy sound. Their 2025 album Остаться собой /Remain Yourself was widely praised as one of the strongest releases in the Russian indie scene, blending dreamy shoegaze textures with catchy, emotional pop songwriting.

If you want to hear more Russian shoegaze, I’ve put together a playlist you can listen to on Spotify and Tidal.