Wisp for a Friday afternoon – recorded at Shibuya in Tokyo on January 19, 2026.
Covering a lot of ground in a relatively short period of time, Wisp (who is, in reality Natalie R. Lu) got noticed pretty much from the get-go. Being labeled everything from Nu-Gaze to Zoomergaze, Wisp has come to be the unofficial spokesperson for Millennial Shoegaze and certainly one of the cornerstone figures in the Shoegaze revival currently making the rounds.
A little background – Natalie Lu grew up in San Francisco‘s Sunset District. She is of Thai and Taiwanese descent. As a teenager, she attended Wallenberg High School, where she drew musical inspiration from her modern band class and the yearly music and arts festival. Wisp was a computer science major in San Francisco State University when she started her musical career.
She released her debut album, If Not Winter, on August 1, 2025.
Her debut single, “Your Face“, was released on April 4, 2023. It went viral on TikTok and charted at number 8 on Billboard‘s Hot Hard Rock Songs going for a run of 15 weeks. A music video directed by Nick Vernet and Boni Mata premiered in November 2023, which takes place underwater. In March 2024, Jonah Krueger of Consequence said that Wisp “Is the Next Leader of the Shoegaze Revival”. She released her first EP, Pandora, on April 5, 2024. In 2025, she was featured on Photographic Memory’s single “Heartstyle”, from his album I Look at Her and Light Goes All Through Me.
Lots to look forward to, if this debut is any indication. Crank it up and have a listen. And fall by her website/store while you’re at it.
Enjoy lunch!
