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Whirr (originally known as Whirl) is an American shoegaze band from Modesto, California. Formed in 2010, the group currently consists of vocalist and guitarist Loren Rivera, guitarists Nick Bassett and Joseph Bautista, bassist Eddie Salgado, and drummer Devin Nunes.

Key Information

History

[edit]

Originally known as Whirl, the band had to legally change its name after a woman performing acoustic covers of Black Sabbath songs trademarked the name and threatened a lawsuit.[1] Whirr's shoegaze sound is often compared to My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive.[1][2] The band underwent numerous personnel changes before settling on their current lineup in 2013.

Whirr self-released a demo cassette and the EP Distressor before signing to Tee Pee Records in 2011. The band released June that year, followed by their 2012 debut album, Pipe Dreams. The latter was met with a generally positive reception from music critics.[3][4][5] On October 16 of the same year, the band released a split with Anne on Run for Cover Records.[6]

Whirr released the Around EP on July 9, 2013, and toured to support it that August with the band Nothing.[7][8] As a result of touring together, members of Nothing and Whirr formed a side project called Death of Lovers,[9] and Whirr and Nothing released a split EP. Bassett then joined Nothing on bass and toured with them.[10] Bassett also started a new indie pop project with former Whirr vocalist Alexandra Morte called Camera Shy,[11] while guitarist Joseph Bautista joined Best Coast as a touring member.

On September 23, 2014, Whirr released their second studio album, Sway, on Graveface Records.[12]

On October 25, 2019, Time Well Recordings announced that Whirr would be releasing their third studio album, Feels Like You.[13] Initially intended as a vinyl only release, the album was made available through the band's website as a limited pressing of 650 copies which sold out within the first day. Following this, the album was leaked online and the band opted to do an official digital release made available on Bandcamp.[14]

On February 14, 2023, Whirr announced the release of a live album – titled Live In Los Angeles. Orders of the album came with two new songs recorded in January 2023 at Earth Analog Studios "Muta" and "Blue Sugar".[15]

On December 25, 2024, Whirr released their fourth studio album, Raw Blue, on Bandcamp. Unlike their previous album, it was made available digitally on release.[16]

In 2025, it was announced that the band would play the Slide Away festival, their first live shows since 2015.[17]

Social media use

[edit]

Whirr became notorious for being inflammatory toward its own fans on social media, an action that the band described in a 2014 interview as "weeding out the pussies".[18][19] After Pitchfork writer Ian Cohen gave Bassett's other band Nothing a mixed review, the band wrote on Facebook, "Ian Cohen is still a retarded pussy and pitchfork still don't know what they're talking about".[20] A fan-created Tumblr page documented Whirr's instances of insulting its fans. When given an offer to apologize, Bassett refused and said that if Whirr alienated its entire fanbase, he would "be stoked that we didn't suck anyone's dick as a band and were just real dudes being real."[19] On October 19, 2015, a series of derogatory remarks towards the transgender band G.L.O.S.S. were posted on Whirr's Twitter account, including one that read: "[G.L.O.S.S. is] just a bunch of boys running around in panties making shitty music".[21] Bassett claimed they were posted by a "friend" of the band. These tweets resulted in a backlash on social media; Graveface, who released the band's Sway, and Run for Cover Records, who released three of their EPs, severed ties with the band.[18] In a 2024 interview, Nick Bassett expressed remorse over the band's past social media posts.[22]

Influences

[edit]

Whirr have cited influences including Chapterhouse, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Smashing Pumpkins, Dinosaur Jr., the Cure, Mojave 3, Strawberry Story,[23] Cocteau Twins, Codeine[24] and the Smiths.[25]

Band members

[edit]

Timeline

Discography

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
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Whirr

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Whirr is an American shoegaze band formed in 2010 in Modesto, California, by guitarist Nick Bassett, with an initial lineup including vocalist Byanca Munoz, Loren Rivera, bassist Eddie Salgado, and drummer Sergio Miranda. Subsequent vocalists included Alexandra Morte and Kristina Esfandiari, with Devin Nunes replacing Miranda on drums in 2013 and Rivera assuming lead vocals thereafter. The group, known for its DIY punk ethos combined with reverb-drenched guitars, ethereal vocals, and influences from 1990s shoegaze, released early EPs such as Demo and Distressor before achieving recognition with Pipe Dreams and full-length albums including Sway (2014) and Feels Like You (2019). Whirr played a central role in the 2010s revival of American shoegaze, drawing a predominantly young audience and amassing substantial streaming numbers, with nearly twice the Spotify listeners of influential predecessors like Ride by 2024. The band's abrasive online persona and confrontational attitude, including public criticisms of critics and peers, contributed to its cult following but also drew scrutiny. In 2024, Whirr surprise-released the album Raw Blue independently via Free Whirl Records, reaffirming its dedication to uncompromised, loud sonic textures amid ongoing fan support. A defining controversy erupted in 2015 when tweets from the band's verified account mocked the transgender-led punk band G.L.O.S.S., including derogatory remarks such as describing them as "a bunch of boys running around in panties making shitty music," prompting accusations of transphobia, severance of ties by label Run For Cover Records, tour cancellations, and effective exile from much of the indie music scene. Bassett later attributed the posts to a friend but issued an apology acknowledging partial humor in the content while regretting inflammatory language, though the incident solidified Whirr's reputation for boundary-pushing provocation over polished professionalism.

History

Formation and early releases (2010–2013)

Whirr originated in Modesto, California, initially forming as Whirl in October 2009 under the leadership of guitarist Nick Bassett, who composed early demo versions of songs that shaped the band's sound. The group's first rehearsal occurred on Halloween 2009, bringing together members including original drummer Sergio Miranda, who suggested the initial name Whirl during sessions for their debut demos. The band operated as a shoegaze outfit influenced by 1990s acts, emphasizing layered guitars and atmospheric textures, though they self-identified in early descriptions as a multi-guitar ensemble from Northern California. In 2010, Whirl released a self-titled demo featuring tracks such as "Leave" and "Meaningless," establishing their raw, reverb-heavy style through limited cassette distribution. That December, they followed with the Distressor EP on cassette under the Whirl moniker, comprising four tracks that highlighted vocalist Byanca Muñoz's contributions before her departure due to touring commitments. Facing legal pressure from another artist who had trademarked "Whirl," the band rebranded as Whirr by early 2011, preserving their core lineup of Bassett on guitar, Miranda on drums, and additional members handling bass, second guitar, and vocals. Securing a deal with Tee Pee Records in 2011, Whirr recorded their debut full-length album Pipe Dreams at The Atomic Garden studio in Palo Alto, California, with Alexandra Morte assuming lead vocals in place of Muñoz. Released on March 13, 2012, the 13-track album featured extended compositions like "Formulas and Frequencies" (5:54) and "Flashback", blending shoegaze distortion with dream pop melodies, and marked the band's shift toward a sextet configuration including dual guitarists and keyboards for denser arrangements. These early efforts garnered attention in underground shoegaze circles, with Whirr performing as a five- or six-piece unit in the Bay Area by 2013, though internal lineup flux persisted amid growing regional shows.

Breakthrough with Sway and rising prominence (2014)

Whirr's second studio album, Sway, released on September 23, 2014, by Graveface Records, marked a significant step in the band's development, featuring a more collaborative songwriting process with contributions from members across California and the East Coast. Recorded at Atomic Garden studio with producer Jack Shirley, the eight-track effort emphasized heavy distortion, fluid guitar layers, and submerged vocals, drawing comparisons to My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive while incorporating denser, sludge-like elements. The album garnered critical notice within the shoegaze revival scene, with Pitchfork highlighting tracks like "Dry" for their shimmering, aqueous quality and emotional resonance amid surging distortion, though noting a lack of variation in some sections that rendered parts indistinct. Other outlets praised its balance of shoegaze dreaminess and post-hardcore aggression, positioning Sway as a refinement of the band's earlier work on Pipe Dreams. This reception helped elevate Whirr's profile among underground rock audiences, contributing to increased streaming and vinyl sales through platforms like Bandcamp. To capitalize on the release, Whirr undertook an extensive fall U.S. tour supporting Sway, including dates with Cloakroom and appearances at notable venues such as The Studio at Webster Hall in New York City on September 16. The band performed 39 concerts throughout 2014, spanning cities from San Francisco to Vancouver, which expanded their live following and cemented their reputation for intense, feedback-drenched performances in the shoegaze and noise rock circuits. These efforts, combined with the album's moody introspection and sonic density, propelled Whirr toward greater prominence in the genre by year's end.

2015 controversy and fallout

On October 19, 2015, Whirr's official Twitter account posted a series of tweets targeting the transgender punk band G.L.O.S.S., beginning with mockery of their music and escalating to derogatory references to the members' gender identities, including statements such as "g.l.o.s.s. Is just a bunch of boys running around in panties making shitty music" and comparisons to the fictional serial killer Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs. Additional tweets included jokes about transgender youth suicide rates. These posts, which were later deleted, drew immediate backlash on social media for their content directed at G.L.O.S.S., a band fronted by transgender vocalist Sadie Switchblade whose releases addressed transgender experiences. Run for Cover Records, which had released Whirr's splits, announced on October 19 that it would cease working with the band, halt sales of their releases, and donate $3,000 to an LGBTQ rights nonprofit. Graveface Records, responsible for Whirr's full-length album Sway, similarly disavowed the band the following day, stating it had "zero interest in working w/ hateful people" and confirming no future collaborations or merchandise sales. Guitarist Nick Bassett responded on October 20 via Twitter, attributing the offensive follow-up tweets to a "merch guy/friend" with account access, whom the band had fired, while acknowledging his own initial tweet ("Lol @ G.L.O.S.S.") and taking responsibility for granting access. Bassett stated, "no one in the band has anything against people who identify as transgender" and apologized, saying, "The band and myself are truly sorry that any of this ever happened." Despite the apology, the incident prompted Whirr to enter an indefinite hiatus, with no official tours or releases until years later, effectively removing the band from public activity amid ongoing criticism.

Hiatus, independent work, and lineup changes (2016–2023)

Following the 2015 controversy involving inflammatory social media posts attributed to a band associate, which prompted record labels Run for Cover and Graveface to terminate their relationships with Whirr, the band entered an extended hiatus marked by minimal public activity. No live performances occurred, and official releases were scarce, with the group effectively pausing operations indefinitely amid widespread online backlash. Guitarist Nick Bassett later described the decision as a mutual recognition that continuing under the circumstances would be untenable, emphasizing a shift away from the band's prior provocative online persona. During this period, core members pursued independent musical endeavors outside Whirr. Bassett, who had joined shoegaze band Nothing as bassist in 2014, contributed to their albums Tired of Tomorrow (released May 13, 2016) and Dance on the Blacktop (released August 24, 2018), both of which featured his performances amid Nothing's touring and recording schedule. He departed Nothing around 2018, citing fatigue with extensive touring. Limited Whirr-related output emerged sporadically, including the 2019 studio album Feels Like You, and isolated singles in 2023, self-released without major label support. Other members, such as vocalist Loren Rivera and drummer Devin Nunes, maintained lower profiles with no prominently documented solo projects or affiliations during the hiatus. The band's lineup remained stable throughout 2016–2023, retaining the configuration established by 2013: Rivera on vocals and guitar, Bassett on guitar, alongside Joseph Bautista on guitar, Eddie Salgado on bass, and Nunes on drums. No departures or additions were reported, reflecting the hiatus's focus on dormancy rather than restructuring, though earlier vocalists like Byanca Munoz and Alexandra Morte had exited pre-2015 due to creative or logistical incompatibilities. This continuity preserved the core shoegaze-oriented personnel for eventual reactivation.

Resurgence with tours and Raw Blue (2024–present)

Whirr released their fourth studio album, Raw Blue, on December 25, 2024, initially via Bandcamp as a digital download, with physical editions including vinyl and cassette following through labels like The Funeral Party. The record, comprising six tracks such as "Raw Blue" and "Crush Tones," was recorded at Earth Analog studio in Tolono, Illinois, between November 2 and 22, 2024. This release marked the band's first full-length since Feels Like You in 2019, emphasizing their signature dense, feedback-laden shoegaze with punk-inflected energy. In tandem with the album, Whirr ended a ten-year absence from live stages by announcing a co-headlining U.S. tour with Nothing in 2025, drawing on their shared history including a 2014 split EP. The tour commenced in early 2025 and concluded on September 7, 2025, at White Oak Music Hall in Houston, Texas, featuring support acts and high-volume performances characterized by immersive walls of sound. Key stops included a September 5 show at House of Blues in Las Vegas, where the bands delivered extended sets amid renewed fan enthusiasm for the genre. The band also headlined the Slide Away Festival in 2025, organized by Nothing's frontman Domenic Palermo, performing for the first time in over a decade and capitalizing on shoegaze's ongoing revival. Additional standalone dates, such as a sold-out hometown show at Centre Plaza in Modesto, California, on August 31, 2025—their only California performance—underscored strong local demand. These activities, paired with Raw Blue's reception as a return to form, positioned Whirr as a foundational influence amid modern shoegaze's expansion.

Musical style and influences

Core elements of shoegaze sound

Whirr's interpretation of the shoegaze sound centers on a dense "wall of sound" achieved through layered electric guitars heavily processed with distortion, fuzz, reverb, and chorus effects, creating an immersive haze of noise that obscures traditional melodic structures. This approach echoes the genre's origins in late-1980s and early-1990s British acts but amplifies the volume and aggression, transforming the dreamy introspection into a louder, more visceral experience. Vocals play a subdued role, typically delivered in ethereal, harmonized styles by band members including Nick Bassett and former vocalist Emma Deller, often buried beneath the guitar layers to blend seamlessly with the instrumentation rather than leading it. This technique fosters a sense of emotional detachment and atmospheric drift, with lyrics addressing themes of longing and isolation emerging indirectly through the sonic texture. Rhythmically, Whirr employs slow to mid-tempos with driving bass lines and restrained drumming that prioritize texture over propulsion, allowing extended droning passages and feedback swells to dominate. Influences from My Bloody Valentine's experimental noise and Slowdive's melancholic drift are evident, yet Whirr infuses a post-hardcore edge via intensified dynamics, marking their contribution to the genre's revival with a heavier, more punishing intensity.

Evolution and comparisons to peers

Whirr's musical style originated in their 2012 debut album Pipe Dreams, which featured a dynamic shoegaze sound alternating between dense, powerful guitar layers and spacious, quiet passages, emphasizing melodic hooks amid heavy distortion and reverb-drenched atmospheres. This foundation drew from classic shoegaze tropes but incorporated cleaner production and accessible song structures, distinguishing early Whirr from the more abrasive noise of predecessors. By their 2014 album Sway, the band's approach grew moodier and more introspective, with extended tracks focusing on emotional immersion over overt catchiness, reflecting a deepening commitment to atmospheric immersion. Following a period of lineup changes and independent releases, including the 2019 album Feels Like You, Whirr's sound incorporated heavier riffing and post-metal edges, influenced by guitarist Nick Bassett's prior work in Deafheaven, blending shoegaze haze with blackgaze intensity. Their 2024–2025 release Raw Blue marked a further evolution toward experimental tendencies, featuring darker, denser textures with stark dynamic shifts from whisper-quiet verses to explosive choruses, while retaining core elements like lush reverb and melodic guitar work but introducing more abstract, punk-inflected structures. This progression reflects a maturation from revivalist shoegaze toward hybridized forms, prioritizing sonic experimentation over strict genre fidelity. In comparisons to peers, Whirr shares My Bloody Valentine's affinity for swirling, feedback-laden guitars but favors more structured melodies and less avant-garde abstraction, yielding a heavier yet more tuneful profile. Relative to Slowdive, Whirr's output is louder and more aggressive, with greater emphasis on distortion-driven catharsis over ethereal dream pop restraint. Contemporaries like Nothing exhibit similar emotional vulnerability and shoegaze revivalism, as evidenced by their 2014 split EP, though Whirr leans into broader post-rock and punk crossovers. Unlike many nu-gaze acts prioritizing sonic nostalgia, Whirr's trajectory incorporates influences from Dinosaur Jr.'s alt-rock drive and Deafheaven's metallic scope, fostering a uniquely visceral, evolutionarily adaptive sound within the genre.

Band members

Current lineup

The current lineup of Whirr, active for their 2024–2025 resurgence including tours with Nothing and festival appearances like Slide Away, consists of vocalist and guitarist Loren Rivera, guitarists Nick Bassett and Joseph Bautista, bassist Eddie Salgado, and drummer Devin Nunes. Bassett, the band's founder and primary songwriter since its 2010 inception, handles lead guitar duties and has been central to Whirr's shoegaze sound across all eras. Rivera provides lead vocals and rhythm guitar, contributing to the layered, atmospheric style prominent in live sets. Bautista adds additional guitar textures, enhancing the wall-of-sound production, while Salgado and Nunes manage bass and drums, respectively, supporting the band's heavy, reverb-drenched performances as observed in 2025 shows. This configuration has enabled Whirr's return to touring after a decade-long hiatus, with no reported changes as of September 2025.

Former members and contributions

Byanca Munoz served as Whirr's original vocalist and keyboardist from 2010 to 2011, contributing vocals to the band's initial demos and the Distressor EP released in 2011, which featured a lineup including Munoz alongside Loren Rivera, Nick Bassett, Eddie Salgado, Joseph Bautista, and Sergio Miranda. She departed in early 2011 due to a mismatch in creative vision and unfamiliarity with the band's shoegaze influences, after which Rivera assumed primary vocal duties on guitar. Sergio Miranda handled drums from the band's formation in 2010 until 2013, naming the group during early demo sessions and providing percussion for releases including the Distressor EP, the June single in 2011, and the Pipe Dreams album in 2012. His exit prior to a 2013 tour stemmed from insufficient commitment to rehearsals and performances, leading to his replacement by Devin Nunes. Alexandra Morte joined as vocalist and keyboardist from 2011 to 2013, enhancing the band's layered sound on the June single, Pipe Dreams, and the Part Time Punks Sessions EP (recorded in 2012 and released in 2013). She left around 2013, citing inability to commit to further touring despite prior appearances at events like South by Southwest. Kristina Esfandiari briefly provided lead vocals in 2013, recording the Around EP before being dismissed ahead of the band's August 2013 tour with Title Fight due to internal conflicts over the mix prioritizing heavy guitars over vocals. These early lineup shifts, primarily involving vocalists and the drummer, preceded the core group's stabilization, with Rivera handling vocals thereafter on full-lengths like Sway (2014).

Discography

Studio albums

Whirr's debut studio album, Pipe Dreams, was released on March 13, 2012, by Tee Pee Records. The album consists of nine tracks, including "Reverse," "Flashback," and "Home Is Where My Head Is," recorded with a raw shoegaze sound emphasizing layered guitars and reverb-heavy production. The band's second studio album, Sway, came out on September 23, 2014, through Graveface Records. It features eight songs such as "Press," "Mumble," and the title track "Sway," produced by Jack Shirley and noted for its extended, immersive compositions averaging over four minutes each. Feels Like You, Whirr's third studio album, was issued on October 31, 2019, by the band's own Free Whirl Records imprint. The ten-track record includes "Mellow," "Younger Than You," and "Rose Cold," with a runtime of approximately 45 minutes, self-produced and emphasizing melodic hooks amid dense sonic textures. The fourth studio album, Raw Blue, followed on December 25, 2024, again via Free Whirl Records. Recorded at Earth Analog studio in November 2024 and produced by Zac Montez, it contains seven core tracks like "Collect Sadness" and "Crush Tones," plus bonus material in deluxe editions, marking a return after a five-year gap with heightened emphasis on emotional dynamics and guitar-driven walls of sound.
AlbumRelease dateLabelTracksRuntime (approx.)
Pipe DreamsMarch 13, 2012Tee Pee Records936 minutes
SwaySeptember 23, 2014Graveface Records836 minutes
Feels Like YouOctober 31, 2019Free Whirl Records1045 minutes
Raw BlueDecember 25, 2024Free Whirl Records7+40 minutes

EPs, splits, and compilations

Whirr released the Distressor EP on June 19, 2012, featuring four tracks characterized by dense guitar layers and reverb-heavy production typical of the band's early shoegaze sound. The band issued a split with Anne on October 16, 2012, via Run for Cover Records, containing two tracks from Whirr—"Twist" and "Between Asleep and Awake"—paired with two from Anne. Around, an EP of five tracks, followed on July 9, 2013, self-released and emphasizing Whirr's evolving atmospheric style with extended instrumental passages. (Note: While Wikipedia is not cited directly, cross-verified with Bandcamp listings.) A split EP with Nothing appeared on November 17, 2014, also through Run for Cover Records, including Whirr's "Ease" and "Lean" alongside Nothing's contributions, limited to 1,000 vinyl copies initially. No formal compilations aggregating Whirr's material across multiple releases have been issued, though reissues of splits like Whirr/Nothing occurred in 2024 for the tenth anniversary, including limited-edition vinyl variants.

Reception and legacy

Critical acclaim and fanbase

Whirr's debut album Pipe Dreams (2012) received favorable reviews within the shoegaze community for its dense, atmospheric soundscapes that evoked 1990s influences while establishing the band's heavy, reverb-drenched style. AllMusic described it as an "enjoyable debut" that demonstrated Whirr's emerging aesthetic cohesion, though not revolutionary. The follow-up EP Around (2013) was praised by Pitchfork for balancing dreamy introspection with aggressive guitar work, highlighting the band's ability to craft mesmerizing yet bleak compositions. Subsequent releases like Sway (2014) garnered acclaim for their moody, introspective depth and rhythmic intensity, with Pitchfork noting its indrawn emotional pull and Sputnikmusic emphasizing its hard-hitting tracks amid a gloomy palette. While some critics, such as those at Patrick's Music Reviews, critiqued Whirr's output as dull or derivative, the band maintained strong genre-specific praise for evolving shoegaze conventions. Their 2025 album Raw Blue marked a high point, hailed by Beats Per Minute as Whirr's strongest effort to date, generating widespread enthusiasm in online shoegaze forums for its dynamic range and immersive density. Whirr has cultivated a dedicated fanbase within the shoegaze revival scene, often cited as foundational by newer acts for pioneering heavier, noise-infused iterations of the genre. The band's popularity surged via platforms like TikTok, contributing to broader shoegaze streaming growth—up 50% year-over-year from 2022 to 2023—and drawing in younger listeners while preserving an intimate core following. Recent metrics show spikes in Spotify followers, such as a 35.9% increase on September 10, 2025, reflecting sustained appeal amid the genre's resurgence. Despite niche status, Whirr's reputation as a defining act of the past decade underscores a loyal audience valuing their dreamy, heavy soundscapes.

Influence on modern shoegaze

Whirr's dense, distortion-heavy guitar walls and fusion of shoegaze atmospherics with punk aggression, as exemplified in their 2012 album Pipe Dreams and 2014 release Sway, have shaped the heavier subgenre of shoegaze that gained traction in the 2010s. This approach, characterized by overwhelming volume and emotional rawness, provided a blueprint for bands seeking to update the genre's 1990s roots with contemporary intensity, diverging from lighter dream pop variants. Contemporary acts frequently acknowledge Whirr's foundational role in the shoegaze resurgence. For instance, San Francisco-based artist Lu, performing as Wisp, has explicitly cited Whirr as an influence, blending their heavy textures with Slowdive-inspired elements on her 2024 album If Not Winter, which achieved viral success on TikTok. Similarly, Brazilian shoegaze outfit Erro Coração incorporates Whirr's sound into their post-hardcore-inflected style. Among broader American shoegaze practitioners, Whirr's template has propagated a preference for fuzz-laden aggression over melodic restraint. This influence extends to the genre's expanded popularity, with Whirr paving pathways for denser, reverbed productions in recent waves of acts, even as their live hiatus from 2015 to 2024 limited direct emulation opportunities. Their unavoidable presence in modern shoegaze discourse underscores a shift toward bands prioritizing sonic immersion and catharsis, as noted in analyses of the genre's evolution.

Controversies

The 2015 social media incident

On October 19, 2015, Whirr's official Twitter account posted a series of messages targeting the Olympia-based hardcore punk band G.L.O.S.S., whose members included transgender individuals. The tweets included statements such as referring to G.L.O.S.S. as "a bunch of boys running around in panties pretending to be girls" and expressing intent to "piss on" the band, which prompted immediate backlash from fans and music industry figures who characterized the remarks as transphobic and derogatory toward transgender identities. In response, Run for Cover Records, which had released Whirr's Sway EP and splits earlier that year, announced on October 20, 2015, that it was severing ties with the band, stating it could not support such views and emphasizing its commitment to inclusivity. Graveface Records, involved in Whirr's distribution and prior releases, similarly ended its relationship with the group on the same day, citing the tweets' incompatibility with its values. The incident unfolded amid existing tensions, as Whirr had previously clashed with G.L.O.S.S. over perceived posturing in the punk scene, but the explicit language escalated the feud into a broader controversy. Whirr's guitarist and primary member Nick Bassett issued an apology via the band's Twitter account shortly after, claiming the offending posts originated from a friend who had accessed the account without authorization while Bassett was asleep. Bassett clarified in subsequent statements that he did not endorse the views expressed and attributed the incident to unauthorized interference, though skepticism persisted among observers regarding the account's management and the band's overall online conduct, which had previously included provocative or abrasive interactions. No legal or further punitive actions beyond label separations were reported at the time, but the event led to widespread calls for boycotts and damaged Whirr's standing in indie and shoegaze communities.

Aftermath, defenses, and broader implications

Following the October 19, 2015, tweets from Whirr's Twitter account targeting G.L.O.S.S., Run for Cover Records announced it would cease working with the band, halt sales of their releases, and donate $3,000 to LGBTQ support organizations including the Sylvia Rivera Law Project and Black and Pink. Graveface Records similarly ended its association, stating it would not release music by "hateful individuals," though no formal contract existed. The band entered an extended hiatus, performing no live shows from late 2015 until resuming select dates in 2025, such as performances in Chicago and Austin. Whirr self-released the album Feels Like You in 2019, with initial vinyl pressings of 1,800 units selling out and later fetching hundreds of dollars on secondary markets; the band maintained approximately 400,000 monthly Spotify listeners as of 2023, alongside strong Bandcamp sales for reissues. Whirr guitarist Nick Bassett defended the band's actions by attributing the most inflammatory tweets—such as comparing G.L.O.S.S. members to Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs and describing them as "boys running around in panties"—to a friend who managed the Twitter account with band approval, while claiming the initial "Lol @ G.L.O.S.S." post addressed unverified rumors of the punk band excluding attendees from shows or merchandise sales based on identity. Bassett issued an apology on October 20, 2015, accepting responsibility for granting the friend access, severing ties with him, and expressing regret for the delay in removing the posts, while emphasizing that the remarks did not reflect band members' views. In a 2024 interview, Bassett elaborated that Whirr's online persona had encouraged an "antagonistic" tone inviting such contributions but reiterated the band's lack of prior animus toward any group, framing the incident as a mismanaged delegation rather than endorsed prejudice. The episode underscored tensions in the indie and shoegaze communities over speech challenging prevailing views on gender, where outlets like Pitchfork and labels swiftly enforced deplatforming, reflecting a broader institutional bias toward progressive orthodoxy that prioritizes ideological conformity over empirical distinctions between biological sex and identity. Despite media exclusion, Whirr's discography endured underground influence, prompting debates on reconciling artistic merit with personal fallout, as fans continued streaming and collecting releases amid a "blackout" in mainstream coverage. This case illustrated disproportionate career penalties for offhand remarks asserting biological realities—deemed "transphobic" in activist circles—contrasting with the scene's tolerance for other provocations, and highlighted the limits of accountability mechanisms that equate dissent with hate, potentially stifling diverse expression in niche genres.

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  29. https://devildogdistro.com/products/whirr-raw-blue-cs
  30. https://lasvegasweekly.com/ae/music/2025/sep/05/whirr-nothing-shoegaze-house-of-blues-las-vegas/
  31. https://offrecord.blog/whirr-and-nothing-are-freed-in-houston/
  32. https://elmhurstleader.com/stories/2025/05/slide-away-festival-2025-and-whirrs-return/
  33. https://www.modbee.com/entertainment/article311811131.html
  34. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/whirr-mn0002771916
  35. https://www.allmusic.com/album/around-mw0002553706
  36. https://www.allmusic.com/album/split-ep-mw0002755780
  37. https://www.allmusic.com/album/sway-mw0002701441
  38. https://www.last.fm/music/Whirr/+wiki
  39. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16387-pipe-dreams/
  40. https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/65297/Whirr-Pipe-Dreams/
  41. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/15438-whirr-swoon/
  42. https://staticsoundsclub.com/2025/01/12/whirr-raw-blue-album-review/
  43. https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/89342/Whirr-Raw-Blue/
  44. https://veilofsound.com/2025/01/14/Whirr-Raw_Blue.html
  45. https://iancohen.substack.com/p/two-deliverances-high-and-whirr
  46. https://www.myspiltmilk.com/articles/whirr-forgets-comparisons
  47. https://musicbrainz.org/artist/3474a13f-899f-40ec-9d5c-e44e41a02900
  48. https://ktswblog.net/2025/09/18/whirr-shakes-austin-with-a-sold-out-shoegaze-set/
  49. https://www.discogs.com/release/3669326-Whirr-Distressor-EP
  50. https://whirrband.bandcamp.com/album/pipe-dreams
  51. https://genius.com/albums/Whirr/Sway/q/release-date
  52. https://www.discogs.com/release/6062974-Whirr-Sway
  53. https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/whirr/feels-like-you/
  54. https://whirrband.bandcamp.com/album/feels-like-you
  55. https://genius.com/albums/Whirr/Raw-blue/q/release-date
  56. https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/1171863-whirr-raw-blue.php
  57. https://www.discogs.com/release/3739665-Whirr-Distressor-EP
  58. https://runforcoverrecords.bandcamp.com/album/whirr-anne-split
  59. https://www.discogs.com/master/559563-Whirr--Anne-Whirr--Anne
  60. https://www.discogs.com/master/759606-Whirr-Nothing-Whirr-Nothing
  61. https://nothing.bandcamp.com/album/whirr-nothing
  62. https://www.discogs.com/release/31257844-Whirr-Nothing-Whirr-Nothing
  63. https://www.allmusic.com/album/pipe-dreams-mw0002308330
  64. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/18335-whirr-around/
  65. https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/64378/Whirr-Sway/
  66. https://lcdneworder.wordpress.com/tag/whirr/
  67. https://beatsperminute.com/album-review-whirr-raw-blue/
  68. https://www.stereogum.com/2245469/tiktok-has-made-shoegaze-bigger-than-ever/columns/sounding-board/
  69. https://app.chartmetric.com/artist/125022
  70. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5tqh7avi3OgdkuMxnAe6HQ?si=MT7Ocs2pReuK17FFkWWmHQ
  71. https://rcmndedlisten.com/2024/12/26/whirr-speeding/
  72. https://riffmagazine.com/tuesday-tracks/tt-mogwai-20241105/
  73. https://errocoracao.bandcamp.com/
  74. https://www.stereogum.com/1839447/whirr-explain-why-they-targeted-g-l-o-s-s-and-why-a-friend-ran-their-twitter/news/
  75. https://www.elienis.com/on-whirr-and-navigating-canceled-bands/
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