Whirr

In 2010 Nick Bassett, the guitarist from Deafheaven, launched Whirr in the Bay Area as a side project that first operated briefly under the name Whirl until copyright conflicts forced a change. The resulting sextet, completed by Joey Bautista, Byanca Munoz, Sergio Miranda, Loren Rivera, and Eddie Salgado, drew from the dreamy aesthetic of 1990s shoegaze touchstones such as My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Ride. Bassett and his bandmates began issuing material through modest channels, issuing the 2011 EP Distressor along with scattered singles and cassette editions ahead of the full-length debut Pipe Dreams in 2012. International touring helped cultivate an audience for their guitar-driven revivalist approach. The following year brought the four-song EP Around, whose languid, drifty character further defined their sound. By 2014 Bassett had become a member of the shoegaze outfit Nothing, original drummer Sergio Miranda had departed in favor of Devin Nunes, and the group delivered its second album, Sway. Also that year Whirr appeared on two split EPs, one with Anne in the spring and another with Nothing in the fall.