Wisp Solidifies Her Masterful Touch As a Shoegaze Wonderkid on ‘See you soon’

Photo by Sophia Álverez
January 24 2024

PRAISE FOR Wisp

“Bringing back shoegaze with vengeance, Wisp is the enigmatic Californian rockstar on the cusp of greatness”

Notion

“Once then we’ll be free” is her latest manifesto; the lo-fi, echoing vocals are an off-kilter match with the scaling, sharp guitar riffs, which echo Johnny Marr if he grew up listening to American Football and Mogwai”

DIY Magazine

“A dreamy demonstration of her command of dynamics and atmosphere...Wisp knows exactly when to hold tension and release it.”

Consequence

“Creates a mystifying veil between its listener and the outside world...it is only a matter of time before Wisp becomes Gen-Z’s go-to ethereal fix”

Pigeons & Planes

“Wisp is the project of a 19-year-old teen from San Francisco who no one knows anything about except that they’re making remarkably great, moody shoegaze”

Nylon

“Blends the gauzy vocals of Yeule and the ‘90s hooks of Soccer Mommy…sterling, riveting”

Uproxx

“See you soon” is out now, buy/stream it here.

Today, the 19-year-old shoegaze artist on the tip of everyone’s tongue, Wisp, shares her latest single “See you soon,” via Interscope. Following her breakout single “Your face” that rocketed into view last summer – amassing tens of millions of streams and attracting a cult fanbase eager to parse out Wisp’s mysterious social media presence – and the follow-up that squashed any question of one-hit-wonderdom, “Once then we’ll be free,” today’s track follows the steady curve upwards towards a lush catalogue to come. She also today graces the global cover of Apple Music’s New Music Daily playlist. Listen to “See you soon” HERE.

Staying true to the dusky tensions, dynamic lift-offs, and the towering guitars of her previous releases, “See you soon” reinforces Wisp’s penchant for precise maximalism. The song’s verses gather momentum deliberately with a swirl of chorus-effects and glide guitar modulation so that when the inevitable explosion hits, it’s an indelible and cathartic release of tension. Wisp’s intuitive understanding of songcraft and arrangement continues to evolve, and, as “See you soon” proves, she’s quickly become adept at delaying the anticipated payoff, simultaneously subverting and delivering on the listener’s expectations.


Watch the visualizer, directed by Nick Vernet and Sophia Álverez, for “See you soon” here.

Of the track, Wisp says, “‘See you soon’ is about being infatuated with a person and wanting to spend all of your time with them, but the resolve at the end of the song represents knowing that person will not last and the feelings on their side aren’t as passionate as yours.”

Inspired by the likes of Whirr and Deftones, Wisp has crafted a distinct and sophisticated sound that strives to realize the expansive possibilities of rock music. Pigeons & Planes says “it is only a matter of time before Wisp becomes Gen-Z’s go-to ethereal fix,” while Notion declares that she is “bringing shoegaze back with a vengeance.” She’s also been selected for multiple 2024 watch lists, including Spotify Lorem Artist To Watch, Amazon Breakthrough Artists, and YouTube Music Artist On The Rise Trending.

Last month, Wisp shared “Once then we’ll be free,” a track that Uproxx says “blends the gauzy vocals of Yeule and the ‘90s hooks of Soccer Mommy.” DIY deemed it “her latest manifesto; the lo-fi, echoing vocals are an off-kilter match with the scaling, sharp guitar riffs, which echo Johnny Marr if he grew up listening to American Football and Mogwai.” Watch the “Once then we’ll be free” visualizer HERE.

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