Top five alternative genre suggestions for your streaming playlists Infobox

Loveless depicts intense disoritentation and complexity, even from its album cover. (Olivia Park)

Shoegaze

First, shoegaze: an icon of simplicity beneath complexity. Despite repetitive chords and vocals, it is cooked into a unique sound collage through a myriad of effects. After all, the genre stems from musicians who stare at the effects pedals beneath their feet. Check out these tracks:

1. my bloody valentine: i only said

Despite their name, they’re not an emo band, but one of the pioneers in shoegaze. Their meticulous levels of production linger as sharp as a razor.

“i only said” pictures disorientation—it’s difficult to read the lyrics beneath all the noise. But from the instrumentals, anyone can understand the gloomy climate. Personally, it haunts me with weightlessness.

2. Slowdive: When the Sun Hits

Slowdive offers a much softer and melodic sound compared to MBV. The tension between the guitars and hushed vocals emits a bittersweet atmosphere in “When the Sun Hits.”

The lyrics convey the story of a relationship torn apart by unhealthy obsessions through poetic symbolism. The sun, a struggle of intense fixation that ruins the narrator’s love, breaks through the clouds as the calm, collected lover strays away.

Like pie in the sky: unreachable.

A miminalistic icon, The Velvet Underground serves as the founding father of many other alternative bands. (Evelyn Cho)

Art rock

Secondly, art rock shares the experimental nature of shoegaze. The subgenre includes bands like Talking Heads, The Velvet Underground, and even Radiohead.

1. All Tomorrow’s Parties by The Velvet Underground and Nico

The Velvet Underground blends dark themes inspired by noir fiction. “All Tomorrow’s Parties” opens with a dreary mood articulated by downbeat jangles. It reminds me of a starry night in a dark boulevard – free, crisp, and almost jazzy.

2. National Anthem by Radiohead

“National Anthem” by Radiohead escalates into a cacophony. It contains multiple saxophones, a bass trombone, and even an Ondes Martenot – an early and shrill precursor to the synthesizer.

Contrary to what these instruments exist for — jazz — “National Anthem” uses these as catalysts for unique sounds. Instead of warm chords, they stay out of tune, chaotic and loud.

The theme conveys satire: a dramatic, grandiose national anthem, coated in propaganda and paranoia.

Highly regarded, pink floyd means more than just a cult classic to the music enthusiasts. (Evelyn Cho)

Psychadelic

Third, psychedelic. The name Pink Floyd defines this subgenre – a legendary band that brings the ambiance of guitar riff earworms and experimental grooves.

Modern iterations like Tame Impala pull this genre in limbo between rock and pop with funky bass, intense synth, and lush keyboards.

1. Time by Pink Floyd

To judge “Time” by its deceptively summery tones would be a mistake, as Pink Floyd’s “Time,” from the landmark album “Dark Side of the Moon,” tells deep themes. It speaks of wasted potential, squandered time and alienation through pure, poetic lyrics.

Contrary to the instrumental parts that feel like a beach sunset, the vocals hit like a late-night existential crisis.

2. Breathe Deeper by Tame Impala

Tame Impala supersedes the profound themes found in Pink Floyd’s work with a modern suit. In “Breathe Deeper,” thick bass anchors the initial bright tones, while layered synths ripple like echoes off marble walls. The lyrics symbolize release from suppression – a reflection of the song's explosion into expansive sound.

Just when it seems Tame Impala’s frontman Kevin Parker has said all he wanted to, it bursts again – this time into a playful reprise. Instead of just a predictable continuation, it feels nostalgic like an afterparty with your closest friends.

A brutalist building captures the gloom that artists in this genre—such as molchat doma—create. (Evelyn Cho)

Darkwave

Fourth, Darkwave. Inspired by post-punk, goth, and 80s synthpop, darkwave combines a gloomy, thick sound with beats from funky drum machines.

1. Тоска (Toska) by Молчат Дома (Molchat doma)

Analogous to the name, Russian for pain that degrades to numbness, the track gets heavy. Influenced by anti-authoritarian themes of Soviet-era post-punk band Кино́ (Kino), it’s written and detuned into devastation.

The title and ultimately the theme, Тоска cannot be fully captured in language. It symbolizes regret. It symbolizes emptiness. It symbolizes the deepest nostalgia a person can hold.

Dread. Denial. And acceptance.

For this song, only the lyric video/visualizer exists on youtube on the official channel.

2. Vampiro by French Police

“Vampiro” by French Police, also inspired by goth, adds a touch of speed. A thin guitar riff repeats in the background, and the tired vocals put the emotions six feet below.

The lyrics are about love and longing, but not the sugarcoated promise of eternal love — instead, the fear of loss of love.

Pachinko expands the tech tree that Radiohead paved with a special expertise in mellow textures. (Olivia Park)

Dream Pop

Fifth, dream pop. The name is self-explanatory — it features a mellow, atmospheric yet catchy melody. From jazzy inspirations to dissonant pop, it covers many bases, too.

1. D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L by Panchiko

“D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L” opens with a dreamy sample reminiscent of Radiohead’s unusual intros. The classic combo of cloudy guitar riff and falsetto vocals creates a melancholic feel. But beneath the composure lie the lyrics, a criticism on far-fetched, rushed lives of people whose entire personality is speedy death metal.

This song becomes multiple times more lively with the newer live studio version uploaded on YouTube.

2. Show Me How by Men I Trust

“Show Me How” drifts in with a dreamy guitar melody. The lo-fi haze and the hushed vocals create intimacy. The repetition of the guitar lulls the listener into weightlessness, without the lyrical catch of D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L.

Instead, “Show Me How” gives warmth like comfort food.

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Top five alternative genre suggestions for your streaming playlists

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