Whirr

Formed in 2010 as a side project of Deafheaven guitarist Nick Bassett, and originally dubbed “Whirl” for a short time before changing their name due to copyright troubles, Bay Area sextet Whirr channeled the dreamy spirit of shoegaze giants of the ’90s like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Ride. Joined by bandmembers Joey Bautista, Byanca Munoz, Sergio Miranda, Loren Rivera, and Eddie Salgado, Bassett quickly started releasing music through smaller avenues, starting with a 2011 EP entitled Distressor, followed by a few singles and cassette releases before their proper debut album, Pipe Dreams, arrived in 2012. Whirr toured internationally, gaining fans with their guitar-heavy shoegaze revivalist sound. In 2013 they issued another four-song EP, the languid and drifty Around. By 2014, Bassett had also joined shoegaze band Nothing, original drummer Miranda had left Whirr (to be replaced by Devin Nunes), and the group released its second full-length album, Sway. That same year the group released two split EPs, one in the spring with Anne and one in the fall with Nothing. ~ Fred Thomas