The Asteroid No.4 step into darker shoegaze territory with In Praise of Shadows

The Asteroid No.4 release In Praise of Shadows on 9 May, marking the San Rafael psych/shoegaze band’s thirteenth record and one of the more substantial independent album drops of the day. The title draws from Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s meditative essay In Praise of Shadows, and the band use that idea as a way to explore contrast: shadow and light, old rooms and modern glare, beauty and unease.

That concept fits their sound well. The Asteroid No.4 have always lived in a haze of classic shoegaze, neo-psychedelia and late-1980s/1990s UK indie influence, but this record is described as darker both musically and lyrically, with more goth textures and electronic elements folded into the guitars. Tracks such as Neptune, Hieroglyphics, Protostar, Pitch Black, Captivate, Underworld and Final Waves suggest a record designed less as a nostalgic genre exercise and more as a shadowy widescreen mood piece.

The band also experimented with processed drums for the first time on one of their records, giving the album another layer of atmosphere without abandoning the haze that defines them. Produced by The Asteroid No.4 and recorded in San Rafael between November 2025 and January 2026, the album also features guest vocals from Zoe Mahaney on Hieroglyphics. For fans of Ride, Spacemen 3, Slowdive-adjacent textures, dream-pop darkness and psychedelic guitar music, this is the standout 9 May release.