Wisp is staying active. Connected via Zoom with Clash, she’s relishing a rare day off in London ahead of the release of her debut album ‘If Not Winter’. Far from her hometown of San Francisco, this new shoegaze artist is enjoying the local attractions – just after catching a glimpse of Big Ben, her band took her to the gritty Camden Market. “They wanted to buy some fake merchandise!” she chuckles.
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The American musician has earned herself a few hours of fun, trying on friendship bracelets and Smiths t-shirts. Since her breakout track ‘Your Face’ went viral in 2023, her life has been a whirlwind. As the face of a new wave of shoegaze and nugaze artists, Wisp’s music melds the delicate beauty of Grouper with the intense depths of Deftones.
“I was actually studying Computer Science and Music for a semester when that song was released,” she reflects. “But eventually, I had to concentrate, and I focused on music.” “It was incredibly liberating,” she remembers of leaving college. “My parents were very supportive, so pursuing music full-time didn’t feel overwhelming. I knew college would still be an option if I ever wanted to return. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and they encouraged me to take it and enjoy the ride.”
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If you browse TikTok under the ‘shoegaze’ hashtag, you'll discover a whole universe of new artists, taking the dreamy sounds of My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and others in innovative directions. The lines are becoming blurred between alternative genres – grunge and metal, for instance – and the ethereal shimmer of shoegaze. This is an exciting era, and record labels are taking notice.
“When my music started to gain momentum,” she recalls, “I received countless DMs and calls from major labels, and I had no clue what any of it meant. For a long time, I thought an A&R was the same as a manager! I was just going along with calls from these people, completely unaware of what to do.”
Slowly, Wisp found her community. A helpful manager came into her life, and early studio experiences allowed her to steadily build confidence. “I was really nervous at first,” she admits. “I wasn’t sure of my abilities, so just picking up a guitar and writing was so challenging… because I saw everyone else in the studio as, you know, my superiors. They had been making music for a long time, and I felt really shy.”
“The more I went in, the more I became comfortable and gained confidence in my songwriting. But it took time,” she clarifies.
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A flurry of singles followed, but Wisp confesses she was trying to satisfy her growing fanbase instead of truly connecting with her own feelings. “I wrote more for my fans than for myself, because I understood what people wanted to hear and knew I could cater to that sound.”
However, her debut album ‘If Not Winter’ marks a complete departure from that. From start to finish, it feels purposeful, allowing Wisp to finally express what had been simmering beneath the surface. “This is the first project I’ve created that feels authentic to me. Others can relate to it, but I can too. It’s definitely a special project.”
“I’ve been writing songs consistently throughout the past year,” she shares, “and I’ve gone through a multitude of experiences and journeys. For everything to be entirely cohesive didn’t necessarily make sense. I wanted it to reflect bits of my life from six months ago, two weeks ago, or even a minute ago. Some of these songs have been in my collection for a long time, but I think, when you hear them together, it really makes sense.”
Every day, Wisp wakes up and writes her Morning Page – an exercise where she jots down three pages each morning, then puts them away and doesn’t revisit them for at least eight weeks. This practice forms the foundation of her creativity, allowing her to both release and document her thoughts and feelings. “Writing things down – how I feel or the weather that day – truly helped me find an anchor, whether in my lyrics or simply the overall vibe.”
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Album standout ‘Black Swan’ began as a diary entry before becoming a last-minute addition to the album. “I felt the record needed one more song,” she remembers. “I wrote that when the deadline was approaching. I honestly dislike it when I don’t have deadlines. I tend to overthink. The longer I have to contemplate a song, the worse it can become. At least for me, my initial mixes always turn out best because they come out so organically.”
‘After Dark’ explores the end of a relationship, a moment when Wisp allowed herself to be truly vulnerable. It also signifies a broader sonic heaviness on the album – not coincidentally,
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Wisp is staying occupied. Connected via Zoom with Clash, she's relishing a rare day off in London as she prepares for the release of her debut album 'If Not.'