Shoegaze Prodigy Quannnic Embraces Analog Sound on Gritty New Album

In August 2025, the extraordinary guitarist Quannnic released their third album Warbrained, a gritty, back-to-basics effort that marks a departure from the artist's previous digital-leaning sound. On Warbrained, Quannnic, a digicore savant who has toured with the legendary shoegaze band Slowdive, embraces analog oomph, mining the golden era of shoegaze for a more corporeal listening experience.

Quannnic's music on Warbrained is described as "groggy yet ridiculously technical, like a sleep-deprived Berklee student on a bender." This blend of technical prowess and a lo-fi, analog aesthetic stands in contrast to the artist's earlier work, which was characterized by the "cloud rock" sound—a budding vanguard that subverted shoegaze's central extremes of numbness and noise.

With Warbrained, Quannnic has moved away from the mutative, uncertain nature of their previous album Stepdream, instead opting for a more forward-looking, '90s-inspired pastiche. The result is a disarmingly mimetic work that pays homage to the golden era of alternative rock while still showcasing Quannnic's unique musical voice and technical mastery.