The shoegaze bug has made its way down to Miami, as evidenced by the latest singles unleashed by recent Atlantic signees Deux Visages. The four-piece made their major-label debut at the end of 2023 with the upbeat “Tethered,” which they followed up at the top of the month with the grungier “February.” While both tracks are tricky to pigeonhole genre-wise, their similar reverence for ’90s alt-rock revivalism sees them dipping into the whirring guitars and airy vocals familiar to the tradition of shoegaze.
It’s no wonder, then, that when they discuss the songs they were obsessed with when “Tethered” came together, names like My Bloody Valentine, The Cranberries, and Sunny Day Real Estate come up—’90s fuzz-rockers who helped lay the foundation for much of today’s buzziest rock music. Meanwhile, bands like Glixen, Feeble Little Horse, and ASkySoBlack—who also all appear on the band’s playlist—wouldn’t exist in their present form without these influences. With additional nods to jangle-pop outfit The Beths and early Weezer B-sides, the diverse set of tracks they cite feels reflective of their complex DNA.
As Deux Visages gather steam ahead of their first full major-label release, check out the influences playlist they scraped together for us below, along with commentary for each track from all four band members.
The Beths, “Little Death”
Daphney Hanono: “Little Death” is an amazing song I found on Discover Weekly and made me love The Beths! They have a super sick sound and it’s super refreshing. I always come back to blast this song.
The Cranberries, “Linger”
Jack Chiu: I’ve always wanted to create a song with the same atmosphere/vibe as this song and was trying to get “Tethered” to have this same melancholic feel to it.
Weezer, “I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams”
Daphne: This is a song that I fell in love with when I heard it on my friend’s Story. Anything with synth lines like in this song will make me fall in love instantly.
My Bloody Valentine, “When You Sleep”
Antoine Lappin: This reminds me of high school and it brings me a gloomy nostalgia that I enjoy indulging in.
Glixen, “Sugarcube”
Daphney: I forget how I found “Sugarcube,” but I love the vibe of this song. Really reminds me of The Sundays and it’s just a great listen overall.
Ziggy 2000, “Obvious”
Daphney: I think “Obvious” was another song I found through Discover Weekly. It’s a great listen—I love the dynamics between the quieter verses and harder-hitting chorus. It gives ’90s-2000s sulking-in-your-room music, which I love.
Present, “Face Down”
Daphney: “Face Down” was actually shown to me by fellow bandmate Jack. I really love the main melody line as well as the two vocalists with that gritty vocal overlay. I also love the soft vocals over grittier music. Great listen—it keeps you interested throughout the song.
Sweet Pill, “High Hopes”
Antoine: This is a song I fell in love with from the first listen, with its Midwest emo riffs and intricate drum parts.
Surf Curse, “Self Portrait”
Antoine: I’ve been an avid listener of Surf Curse for about six years now, and I remember listening to this track for the first time and realizing how much they’ve evolved sonically. I felt an urge to write something like this.
Feeble Little Horse, “Sweet”
Jack: Super obsessed with the tones, as well as the composition of this song. It’s moving and nostalgic while still sounding brand new.
ASkySoBlack, “I Fail to Feel”
Jack: Tony, our bassist, showed me this band and I’ve just been loving this song from them.
Fleshwater, “Linda Claire”
Tony Jouvin: I came by Fleshwater around when we were writing “Tethered.” I love their songs—they go hard.
Sunny Day Real Estate, “Red Elephant”
Jack: Had this on repeat while writing “Tethered.” It has this constant push and pull that I wanted “Tethered” to have.
Mac DeMarco, “Ode to Viceroy”
Antoine: This is a love song dedicated to cigarettes, which instantly puts me in a melancholic yet optimistic mood.
julie, “april’s-bloom”
Jack: We were able to play a couple shows with this band and I’ve been listening to them nonstop. Super talented individuals.
ASkySoBlack, “Made Up Face”
Tony: One of my homies, David, played with ASkySoBlack and was showing me their stuff around when we were writing “Tethered,” and I’ve been obsessed with the band since.
