DAZE dreamy shoegaze band interview

If you like your alt rock dreamy, you need to hear the moody, shoegaze-inspired soundscapes of DA/ZE. Skilfully blending emotive riffs, ethereal vocals and heart-rending lyrics, their music never fails to impress.

The band’s debut EP ‘Ritual’ was released in 2018 and garnered much critical praise with its grunge-tinged spin on shoegaze. The full-length album ‘Still Sleeping’ followed in 2020. We recommend you pour both in your earholes.

Now the Texas four piece - comprising Nikki on lead vocals and guitar, Grayson on bass, Ben on vocals and guitar, and Zack on drums - are back with impressive new track ‘She Said’.

Characteristically angsty and thematically rich, ‘She Said’ deals with issues of grief, separation and heartbreak. Nikki’s soft and sensual vocals are juxtaposed with sludgy guitars and pounding percussion. The track envelopes you, lifts you up, and carries you away in its sonic wash.

‘She Said’ is the band’s second stand-alone single since partnering with Pacific Northwest-based label Neon Bloodbath, and comes hot on the heels of their hugely successful release ‘Headrush’.

DA/ZE has achieved a lot since emerging from Houston’s vibrant hardcore community in 2017. We wanted to find out more. We got in touch.

Down the line from Houston, Texas, in the good 'ol U. S. of A., we had a nice chat with the band’s driving force: lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Nikki Isabelle.

For what she has to say about 'She Said', as well as hot springs, sweaty lips, and more, read on!

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Hello Nikki. Please introduce us to DA/ZE.

NIKKI ISABELLE - Hey. We’re an alternative, shoegaze band. Nu-gaze? Dreamy rockers? I don’t know. We’re a little heavier than dream pop and shoegaze. I write nostalgic, yearning music. I think the vibes are definitely picked up by most listeners.

For sure. Please tell us how DA/ZE started.

DA/ZE started in December 2017 or January 2018 - I can’t remember exactly - when I finally decided to write my own music. Before that, I’d been filling in on bass and guitar for friends’ bands.

I always wanted to make music. I wanted to be in a hardcore band when I was in high school but, at that time, female guitar players were not so common and I was really self conscious.

Eventually, I forced my little brother to play bass with me and asked a friend to play drums. Our line-up’s changed since then, but it’s always been me from the beginning.

Do you remember your first gig as DA/ZE?

Yeah, our first gig ever was at a little venue in Houston called La Playa, back in 2018. We opened for Grivo.

It was summertime and there was no AC. Every single part of my body was dripping sweat. My lips got shocked by the mic because I was so sweaty.

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Positively shocking. Do you have a favourite track to perform live?

Right now it’s ‘Headrush’ but sometimes it’s ‘She Said’. It really depends on the vibe of the bands we’re playing with.

Can you talk us through how you typically write your songs?

Usually, I’ll have ideas or guitar riffs I wrote for a song and I’m like 75% there, or 50% there, with the melody I recorded at home. Then Ben comes in and works with me and we figure it all out. Or he’ll have idea after we’ve been noodling at the space. Then we’ll start singing something and we’re like, take a video so we don’t miss out on what we just did.

Ever since he joined the band in 2023, it’s been really fun to work with our different approaches to songwriting. Ben’s all about what’s next; I like to kinda take my time.

I also love to write lyrics and I journal all the time. I’ll usually write something and Ben helps me put it into the melody, or he’ll help me rearrange some lyrics.

Does the collaboration carry over into the recording studio?

Absolutely. The recording process is insane now, since Ben is so meticulous. At this point, I’m used to tracking four guitar tracks and four vocal tracks a song, minimum, to make sure we have lots to work with.

Other than this interview, what’s been your biggest highlight to date?

We had our song ‘Headrush’ on a huge playlist on Spotify. That really helped us reach so many more people. It was amazing.

Please tell us about ‘She Said’.

I wrote the song as I’ve been going through treatment for C-PTSD [complex post-traumatic stress disorder]. It’s been over a year - a long process - trying to fix my brain. I am constantly trying to break cycles that are detrimental to my life.

I put my trust in people who don’t care about me in the ways they should. This song is about how, when they leave. I always think of my mom and the complicated relationship I have with women. It’s also a cultural thing: I’m a child of a Mexican immigrant. I’ve had an identity crisis since I can remember.

It sounds like songwriting's a cathartic process for you.

I just think it’s wild how, when you grieve the life you wish you had, people resonate with it and think about their ex-girlfriend, ex-partner or lover, yet I’m dreaming about how I wish I didn’t have to go through certain abuse to get to where I am today.

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That’s the power of music: it’s universal. Where did you record ‘She Said’?

We recorded this with our friend, Doyle, who previously did ‘Mellow' for us. He has a little farm in the middle of nowhere Houston. He made me feel comfortable in the studio for the first time ever in my life. He always knows what to say and when to say it, or when to say ‘Anything else y’all wanna add?’

What’s the best thing about being a performer?

Having people enjoy my music and resonate with the things I write. Having young girls and women and femmes come up to me and say they like my band. It’s a great feeling.

And what’s the worst thing?

Being perceived by hundreds of people!