Grazer: Crafting an alt-shoegaze sonic universe all of their own

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Breakthrough 2022

Melbourne-based duo Grazer are on the cusp of something special. Its two members Matt Spiller and Mollie Wilson have been artists for their entire lives, and as they move towards their debut album, they continue to prove why we need to keep our ears turned firmly in their direction.

Growing up as next-door neighbours before becoming romantic partners, and later a musical duo – there is a rich history and chemistry that fills every Grazer track.

Formed in late 2019, Grazer quickly began to establish themselves in Melbourne’s rich DIY scene thanks to their timeless combination of hook-driven dream-pop and hazy, nostalgia-filled shoegaze, topped off by ethereal harmonies that truly showcase how beautiful the pair sound together.

Listening to Grazer is like looking at the world through a softly focussed lens – everything drenched in emotion and hazy feeling. It’s the sort of music that sits perfectly whether it’s played late at night or in the earliest hours of the morning.

Grazer – Hyper-normal (Official Video)

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With a background in the arts – including photography, poetry, and painting – informing their focused sound, the duo’s growing sonic catalogue draws elements from ‘80s Britpop and ‘90s shoegaze and neo-psychedelia, while they claim the likes of Brian Jonestown Massacre, DIIV, Beach Fossils, Melbourne’s electronic music scene, and a childhood diet of Led Zeppelin and the Beatles as inspiration. And when they’re stuck for lyrics, it’s Oscar Wilde, Dylan Thomas, and their own poetry that they turn to for guidance.

Their alt-shoegaze style is at moments melancholic and dark, and at others warm and brightly floating – and not truly tied to any one sound or genre, with the entire sonic universe at their fingertips – every side proves Grazer as a force to be reckoned with.

The band made the most of the lockdown period by bunkering down in a Carlton basement to self-record their first (self-titled) EP and early singles ‘Fever Dream’ and ‘Joe’s Sad Song’. Before a string of singles filled the rest of 2020, seeing the duo trying on different sounds and establishing exactly where they were going.

Grazer – Without You (Official Video)

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Then in March 2021, Grazer released ‘Nostalgia Seeds’ – offering up a slight shift in sound and marking the first glimpse of their upcoming debut album, set to arrive early this year. The single proved to be the beginning of their break through, seeing a string of playlist adds and recording more than 20K streams in just its first week.

Their double a-side single ‘Without You’/’Vision’ followed, offering fans a fresh window into the love they share for each other. ‘Vision’ – which throws back to the band’s earlier sounds – is a recollection of their earliest years; of growing up together as next-door neighbours and the blessing of young innocence and underlying friendship in the duo’s history. While ‘Without You’ – one of Grazer’s standout tracks – is a darker, more radio-friendly pop song, exploring the burden of loving someone while knowing you might lost them.

Following the double-a side, Grazer dropped ‘Reunion’ another characteristically atmospheric, dreamy number – spinning a tale of the many repeated meetings in one’s life, between lovers and old friends – before ending 2021 with their latest release ‘Hyper-Normal’.

With the promise of more experimentation to come and a full-length album coming soon, we can’t wait to see what heights Grazer soar to in 2022.

GRAZER – Nostalgia Seed