Shoegaze heads, gather ’round: Bleary Eyed are back with a fresh hit of hazy, sample-soaked bliss. Their new single Wander landed September 22 via Born Losers Records, and it’s got that pile-driving, dreamy, slightly off-kilter magic the band does so well. Fans of Modest Mouse, Spirit of the Beehive, MBV and Alex G, this one’s for you.
The Story Behind Wander
This one is quite literally about a long drive. Picture an overnight haul from NYC to Atlanta on the way down to SXSW: tired, sleep-deprived, and buzzing to play and see friends. There’s even a memory of nodding off for a split second and pulling off the road. The second half of the song gets more vague, dissolving into that listless feeling you can get on a long trip, on tour, or perched on a barstool. You’re far from home but still connected to it.
Catch Bleary Eyed on Tour
The band is hitting the road hard this fall, with stops alongside Glitterer, Hot Flash Heat Wave and Swervedriver, plus a pair of Pitchfork Music Festival appearances in London and Paris. Get your tickets while you can: GET TICKETS HERE.
With Hot Flash Heat Wave
- 10/2 – Cobra Lounge – Chicago, IL
- 10/3 – Underground Music Venue – Minneapolis, MN
Philly Music Fest (Bleary Eyed only)
- 10/17 – Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA
United Kingdom & France
- 11/2 – YES / Pink Room – Manchester, UK
- 11/3 – TBA
- 11/4 – Exchange – Bristol, UK
- 11/5 – Heartbreakers – Southampton, UK
- 11/6 – Moth Club – London, UK (Pitchfork Festival)
- 11/7 – Mécanique Ondulatoire – Paris, FR (Pitchfork Festival)
Axelrad Festival (Bleary Eyed only)
- 11/2 – Axelrad Festival – Houston, TX
With Swervedriver
- 12/10 – Pappy & Harriet’s – Pioneertown, CA
- 12/11 – Casbah – San Diego, CA
- 12/12 – Teragram – Los Angeles, CA
- 12/13 – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
About Bleary Eyed
Bleary Eyed formed in 2015 around frontman Nathaniel Salfi (guitar, vocals), coming up through the DIY scenes of Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Over the years the band has gone through plenty of artistic evolutions, and all that experimenting has paid off in a sound that’s distinctly their own: hazy guitars, sample-heavy production, and a warped computer-pop atmosphere carving out its own corner of shoegaze.
In 2025 they dropped their third LP, ‘Easy’, via Born Losers Records, and the love was loud. Stereogum ranked it number two on its list of the Top 10 Best Shoegaze Albums of 2025. The band then set out on their biggest North American headlining tour yet, playing to their biggest crowds to date.
Back home, they caught the ear of North Carolina act Wednesday, who invited Bleary Eyed along for a European tour in 2026. The international momentum keeps rolling this November with Pitchfork Music Festival London and Pitchfork Music Festival Paris. Earlier in the year, fellow Philadelphia shoegaze crew Nothing invited them to play their annual Slide Away Festival alongside Hum, and they’ll also be at Chicago’s Cold Waves Festival in September 2026, supporting Failure.
After more than a decade of evolving and refining, Bleary Eyed have mastered the art of making something familiar feel completely their own. With ‘Easy’ behind them and an increasingly ambitious touring schedule ahead, it feels less like a band at their peak and more like a band just getting started.
Wander is out now on Born Losers Records.
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