A Place to Bury Strangers has long been recognized as one of the pioneering bands of the shoegaze genre — a style of music that now pervades subgenres as diverse as indie pop and black metal. Born out of New York City and evolving into a complex and layered sound experiment, APTBS has made a big mark on psych-rock and shoegaze since its formation in 2002, helping to start the revival of grungy and noisy yet spaced-out rock, pioneered by earlier bands like My Bloody Valentine. APTBS has also gained a reputation as a band that's hard to pin down or see live, because of its habit of taking a few years between releases and tours — which made its recent appea
“We kind of plan a year ahead when we make a
In terms of the recent resurgence in popularity for shoegaze,
He also enjoys the new transfusion of shoegaze-like aesthetics into black metal and other underground genres, rather than taking a purist approach.
“I think a lot of the metal fans respect us,” says Lunadon. “I went to
The group just released its fourth studio album, Transfixiation, which expands on its already-well-established blend of poppy melodies and heavy riffs, but takes it in a new direction.
“Every record is a different approach,” says
This method of creating music that's similar to past works yet always progressing and improving is likely a result, at least in part, of the group's unique songwriting process.
“As always, Oliver [Ackermann, guitar and vocals] wrote a couple different songs by himself,”
Seeing the band live really leaves nothing to be desired. From the start of their set to the very end, when members of the band come out into the audience to do solos and interact with the crowd, their live performance really is that: a performance. The entire time they are on stage, they have flashing white strobe lights projecting behind them, turning them into vibrating silhouettes on stage instead of solidified, recognizable people. The audience was illuminated in the same light and was completely immersed in the performance. Although the band only played for about an hour, it left a lasting impression.
“I love Denver,” says