Tape Wounds Magazine - Female Fronted Shoegaze Issue, Digital Version

Buy the digital version of the first issue of Tape Wounds Magazine, Issue 2

The new issue of Tape Wounds is officially here, and it is an unapologetic love letter to the women carrying the shoegaze scene forward on their backs. Sexism exists absolutely everywhere, and men looking down on women who dare to take up space is a universal experience. From Myanmar to Guatemala, the bands I interviewed for this issue all navigate the exact same condescension—that underlying pressure to justify their presence every single time they step on a stage or plug in a guitar.

But ultimately, the artists in this issue aren't waiting for permission from the sound guy. They are the ones writing the best records out right now, dialing in their own pedals, and booking the sweaty basement gigs. They are building their own weird, welcoming universes, entirely on their own terms.

Putting this specific issue together was deeply personal for me. When I launched the first feminist blog in my home country of Uzbekistan years ago, simply claiming space and speaking the truth earned me a barrage of death threats. Navigating that kind of hostility taught me exactly what it means to stand your ground, build a platform from absolutely nothing, and refuse to be silenced. That same defiant, uncompromising spirit is exactly what breathes through every single page and interview in this issue. It’s for everyone who has ever been talked down to in a venue, but plugged in and played louder anyway.

And finally, I am dedicating this issue to my younger self. Growing up in a deeply patriarchal society, I was never supposed to have my own opinion, let alone my own voice. This is a message to her: Girl, you’re going places. You are doing a shoegaze magazine all on your own.

Turn your amps up.

In this issue: 

She’s Green

Glixen

Total Wife

Shye

Sadplanet

Kallai

Nara's room

Asimov

Floral Bone Girl

Darko's Aufhebung

Glazyhaze