Secret Shine

Bristol, England dream pop outfit Secret Shine originated in November 1990 when vocalist Jamie Gingell joined forces with ex-Panda Pops guitarist Scott Purnell. Initially known as Amelia's Dream, the pair assembled a three-song demo and sent it to Sarah Records, prompting the label to release the single “After Years” during autumn 1991. Around the same period, the German imprint A Turntable Friend put out another single, “Unbearable.” By then the project had adopted the name Secret Shine and grown into a five-piece through the arrival of bassist Paul Vowles, drummer Nick Dyte, and Scott’s brother Dean on guitar.

Spring 1992 brought the Sarah single “Ephemeral,” after which vocalist Kathryn Smith joined the lineup; the resulting track “Loveblind” became the group’s sole entry in the U.K. indie Top 20. Their debut album, Untouched, finally appeared in 1993. On the follow-up EP, Greater Than God, Dyte had switched to bass while Tim Morris took over drums. One additional flexidisc, “Each to the Other,” preceded the band’s initial dissolution, after which Gingell and the Purnell brothers later formed Collide and Loomer.

Midway through the 2000s, two events prompted a reunion. Clairecords compiled the band’s Sarah-era material on the collection After Years, while drummer Tim Morris passed away. The surviving members reconvened to record an acoustic tribute to their former colleague and remained active thereafter. Clairecords issued the new album All of the Stars in 2008, followed by the self-released The Beginning and the End in 2010. Later, Saint Marie reissued Untouched and commissioned a fresh studio effort; There Is Only Now emerged in early 2017.