Loathe & Thornhill: the Curse of 2020s Nu-Gaze
The meaning of “nu-gaze” has shifted dramatically. How do Loathe related to Narrow Head or Wisp? How does Deftones fit in? Analysing the sonic origins of Loathe and Thornhill.
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This month’s newsletter is a companion piece to Loathe Lace Metal with Soul on ‘A Stranger to You’. It expands upon contextual points from the review and the research methods that led me to them. It is also intertwined with Why Grungegaze Dominates 2026’s Music Underground, an article in which I discussed nu-gaze’s semantic shift into nu-metal-shoegaze but avoided discussing the world of Loathe and Thornhill due to their lack of relation to grungegaze.
Loathe & Thornhill: the Curse of 2020s Nu-Gaze
Inside you there are two Deftones-cores: one is nu-gaze, the other is nu-gaze; neither are My Vitriol.
“Nu-gaze” is a confusing term. Originally, it was a joke by My Vitriol vocalist Som Wardner to reference his band’s influence from shoegaze but acknowledging their sonic distinction. Adopted by the press, it became applied to the whole wave of 2000s shoegaze-influenced bands, including M83 and the Radio Dpt., particularly associated with their use of synthesisers.
By the early 2020s, it had mostly fallen out of use. In 2023, it experienced a semantic shift, now referring to nu-metal-shoegaze. It’s worth noting that concurrently, “shoegaze” experienced a semantic bleaching, increasingly referring to any music with reverb and floaty strumming. Even then, it is just as common for “nu gaze” to refer to simply “new shoegaze”.
For the most part, nu-gaze usage focuses on grungegaze-derived artists like Bleed, Narrow Head and Fleshwater and, their cousins, the zoomergaze/VSTI-gaze/digigaze/hypergaze trend of Photographic Memory, Wisp and Quannnic. With this being such a small grouping, the likes of Loathe, Thornhill and Love is Noise are also sometimes thrown into the conversation. However, the distinction between Bleed and Loathe is vast. The use of a bass VI as a guitar and djent-inspired riffing in Loathe’s sect are the blatant ones. Furthermore, grungegaze descendants have a very particular melodic style, derived from Sunny Day Real Estate, that is lacked by the other group.
Deftones
Of course, the shadow of Deftones falls upon both of these sects. To some extent, “nu-gaze” is simply a placeholder for “Deftones-influenced”. Although, that ignores how varied Deftones’ discography is and how different their descendants can sound. For example, Loathe’s work is most similar to Diamond Eyes (2010) due to that album’s Meshuggah-influenced riffing, something uncommon in the rest of Deftones’ discography. Even then, Loathe’s roots in early 2010s metalcore are prominent, early on often resembling Sworn In, who do not sound like Deftones. If Loathe is to be included under this term, then why not Devil Sold His Soul, Poison the Well or Finch? They all borrwed dreamy textures directly from Deftones, but “nu-gaze” is never applied. Is the “nu” referencing Deftones being nu metal? Were Deftones ever really nu metal? “Back to School” certainly is; “Change” is not (they’re on the same album).
Grungegaze
A breakdown of grungegaze and its origins were covered in Why Everything Sounds like Grungegaze. The influence of nu metal was largely undiscussed. This article adopts the methodology outlined in Why Everything Sounds like Grungegaze as a means to assess the distinction. It will ignore the influence from Deftones as being an influence from nu metal due to the band’s sonic transience.
The grungegaze-nu-gaze grouping is quite small but has had little time to develop; Bleed’s 2021 EP is usually seen as the first, and it only began being adopted by others around 2025. Bleed are a sideproject of grungegaze band Narrow Head, and cite nu metal bands Linkin Park and Nothing Face as influences. Narrow Head vocalist Jacob Duerte personally relayed that he has recently begun to take influence from nu metal. Fleshwater have mentioned love for Title Fight and Korn. These groups “-gaze” suffix is questionable, inherited from grungegaze but playing music more recognisably alt metal and emo influenced.
The zoomergaze musicians link back to grungegaze with Photographic Memory citing Narrow Head and Fleshwater as influences; while Quannnic cites soft grunge bands (grungegaze’s parent genre) Superheaven and Basement, as does Wisp with Title Fight. These artists generally don’t cite nu metal itself as an influence; their labelling as nu-gaze seems to be an approximation of the electronic and rap genre-fluidity they retain from their hyperpop and digicore roots.
Loathe and friends
Context
Now for the main event: the unnamed beast; designer shade metal; djentgaze; thallgaze; gloomgaze; djentones. Loathe-gaze.
Loathe had spent their earliest years aligned mostly with post-scene metalcore and djent bands but by 2017 had gravitated towards the melodic hardcore scene, which had split from mainline hardcore only a few years prior. They particularly befriended those in its atmospheric strain (Being As an Ocean, Casey, Parting Gift) that centred on the YouTube channel Dreambound Promotions, in tribute called “dreamcore”. This was first observable through their 2017 tour with dreamcore band Holding Absence, supporting Blood Youth. They and Holding Absence then co-headlined a tour in 2018, with each date’s local supports (Sleep Token, Modern Error, Lifetight, Parting Gift, God Complex) establishing a sub-scene made up of bands associated with Dreambound but often more metal-indebted. This was expanded with groups Loathe produced for and other Loathe-osphere bands frequently played with: Blood Youth, Cutting Teeth, Galleries, Alignments, MTXS, etc.
Many of the sub-scene’s sounds were associated with the genre name “gloom metal” or simply “gloom”, a self-identifier of Lotus Eater, perhaps the most successful group to play the style other than Loathe. That term has mostly come to mean nu metalcore bands who shared Loathe’s distinctive djent-indebted riffing and Silent Hill/Resident Evil-inspired ambient sections. Think Starve to Survive, Creak or In Fear.
Analysis
These social conditions are paramount to the Loathe-gaze phenomenon; the bands within the scene frequently discuss their influence from each other. Loathe were the first to execute designer shade metal on This is as One (2018). The Loathe-osphere soon followed, with Cameron Humphrey (ex-Lotus Eater) forming Love is Noise (2021) and Alex Ioannou (ex-Alignments) forming Whiteblossom (2025). Foreign groups with close friendships to Loathe also adapted. Loathe had been in contact with Hunter Young since his time in Silence; in 2021 he formed Moodring, who had this sound up until Death Fetish (2026). The Scousers had a similar relationship with Thornhill, who switched sounds on Heroine (2022), produced by George Lever (I Let It in...) and continued onto Bodies (2025), mixed by Kel Pinchin (Modern Error). Loathe guitarist Erik Bickerstaffe also produced Heavensgate’s A Heart is a Heavy Burden (2025), which marked their shift into the style.
The soundscapes heard in these songs did make use of heavy reverb and delay, as was common in shoegaze. However, they were often playing power chords, rather than the full chords common in shoegaze. Furthermore, much of their atmospherics did not come directly from their guitar tone, instead executed by layering ambient synth pads and orchestral samples low in the mix. Both of these were already common practice amongst their friends in Holding Absence and Parting Gift.
As these bands had been in such close proximity to Dreambound, it seems the sound was created from their cross-pollination. Loathe vocalist Kadeem France has cited dreamcore bands Holding Absence (they also share a member: Feisal El-Khazragi) and Being As an Ocean as influences, and Thornhill cite Crooks. The majority of other bands in this style mention either of these adopters: Love is Noise, Heavensgate and Moodring. Other overt references to dreamcore include Tied in Knots (Holding Absence) and Take Breath (Casey, Holding Absence, Being As an Ocean).
For reference, listen to Loathe’s premier Deftones-core song “Two Way Mirror” beside “Dream of Me” by Holding Absence, and the similarities are striking. Similarly, compare Invent Animate’s recent Loathe-inspired material on Heavener (2023) to dreamcore band Pale. Tied in Knots have perhaps the most blatantly dreamcore-inspired song with “Snaggletooth”, which has a crescendo structure, as well as lyrical and drumming style, incredibly reminiscent of Casey.
Amongst this group, dreamcore influence is actually more frequent than shoegaze. While Loathe have referenced the shoegaze work of My Bloody Valentine and the Verve as influences directly, as have Love is Noise; Thornhill and Take Breath have not. They inherit it from Loathe, Deftones and dreamcore (where shoegaze is a reoccurring but not inherent influence).
In my review, I discussed how pre-2018 Loathe had already pioneered a distinct style of riffing. Obvious examples include Loathe’s “Never More” or Creak’s “Restless Dreams”; and these are still present in the new paradigm: the pre-second chorus of Love is Noise’s “In the Shadow of Your Former Self”, Thornhill’s “Nerv” and Terminals’ “Labyrinth”.
Crossover
While Loathe, Thornhill, Moodring and Heavensgate have not cited any grungegaze bands as influences, there is a crossover between the two sects. Split Chain cite Love is Noise and Bleed (amongst others); Apate cite Soul Blind and Love is Noise; Aphasia cite Soul Blind and Loathe; Terminals cite Loathe and Fleshwater (amongst others); Paleskin cite Loathe and Wisp; Whiteblossom cite Holding Absence (amongst others) and Trauma Ray (amongst others); Blanket cite Love is Noise and Narrow Head (amongst others); and Love is Noise cite Citzen (soft grunge) and Loathe (amongst others). France also featured on Blanket’s “In Awe” (2021). As they mix, the elements that separate them dissipate. Instead of including both djent riffs and emo melodies, they have neither, focusing on their already similar etherealism. The earliest influence crossover here comes from Split Chain in late 2023; however Love is Noise and Blanket are the older bands, who may have simply not discussed it when it commenced.
Conclusion
The Loathe-osphere looks a lot different in 2026. Perhaps the most prominent band bar, Loathe, is Static Dress. In last month’s review of their album Injury Episode, I discussed how they have hybridised pop screamo with grungegaze and dreamcore, citing Fleshwater and Modern Color (having roots in Dreambound band Galleries). Alongside Modern Error (who cite soft grungers Superheaven and Citizen, as well as dreamcore band the Elijah), the mutual influence amongst Loathe-osphere groups means the likelihood Loathe have affected their sound is high. However, these two play a sound far out of the realm of what should ever be called shoegaze, even in its increasing meaninglessness.
With the heavy, genre-fluid landscape they helped pioneer, it seems the Loathe-osphere are the current trendsetters. It’ll be fascinating to see what else may arise.
Futher reading
Static Dress Kill Emo Nostalgia on '“Injury Episode”
Exit Dream Make a Grandiose Return on “Out Your Skin”
Why Everything Sounds like Grungegaze