Drop Nineteens: Delaware (1992)
Pitchfork: In many ways, shoegaze can be considered a quintessentially British genre. Not only was its name coined by the notoriously fickle UK press, but the majority of shoegaze bands share a common geography that informs their sound—not just a cohesive physical scene, but a working-class Englishman ethos. However, in the early 1990s, a small handful of contemporary U.S. bands were melding American college rock with the main characteristics of shoegaze, taking cues from bands like Galaxie 500 and Dinosaur Jr. and marrying their fuzzed-out guitars and introspective lyrics with the more sonically expansive, atmospheric production of Kevin Shields and company.
Delaware, the debut album by Boston’s Drop Nineteens, has a confessional and poetic aura that’s completely in line with the alt-rock of the era. Singers/guitarists Greg Ackell and Paula Kelley’s assertive-yet-sweet vocals intertwine seamlessly around lyrics of mournful youths and angelic first loves. But there’s an undercutting edginess to Delaware that distances itself further from typical shoegaze dreaminess; “Reberrymemberer” spews a grunginess reminiscent of Pixies’ more experimental moments. Operating under and isolated from the shoegaze umbrella simultaneously, Delaware sets Drop Nineteens squarely in a league of their own.