Album cover for Gaze by Mitsumeru
Gaze was a Canadian indie pop band with shoegaze and twee leanings. Their drummer, Rose Melberg, was part of a number of other musical groups within the genre such as The Softies and Tiger Trap. The band only released two albums before disbanding but I think that both are worth a listen. While often criticized for lack of musical variety between songs, each song feels emotionally sincere. They may not be the most musically complex band, but their frank lyrics describing everyday frustrations and arguments endear them to me. A friend of a friend you can’t stand, a break up that leaves you bitter and an argument where insults are thrown back and forth are all stories explored within the album “Mitsumeru”.
One of my favorite songs off of the album is “Any Way”. The opening is a great example of what I mean when I describe the lyrics as frank and honest:
You are a loser
Any Way by Gaze
You are a jerk
You’re completely insensitive
And it would never work
It’s a classic situation where the singer is trying to talk some sense into herself over a guy she knows is not even that cool. The ages of the band’s members show in the kinds of conflicts that they describe. The fact that it feels so real, especially for people at the college age injunction in their lives, makes it so much better to listen to.
“Mitsumeru” is a fun album with distorted and hastily strummed guitars, bass lines that tell you when to be angry and singing that almost feels spoken at times. If you are a fan of shoegaze and indie pop, Gaze’s album “Mitsumeru” is a classic example of the genre.