Dog Days Fest: Philly shoegazers Knifeplay shine a little light on the darkness

In 2022, the influential indie music blog, Stereogum, published an article about the emergence of a New Wave of American Shoegaze, a sub-genre of rock characterized by obscured ethereal vocals and incredibly loud and wooly distorted guitars. Much of the article focused on Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which has become a breeding ground for new shoegaze bands such as TAGABOW, Full Body 2, Hotline TNT, and A Country Western. One standout Philly band that has taken shoegaze to new heights is Knifeplay, which is making its Savannah debut at this weekend’s inaugural Dog Days Fest.

“It was flattering, for sure,” said Knifeplay frontman TJ Strohmer of the Stereogum story. “If anyone is perceiving what we’re doing as something that’s going to last in any capacity, that’s always really nice, to feel that recognition. There were other artists who are friends in that article, too. I feel like having that kind of community around us is helpful in ways, but also, we’re always trying to push what we’re doing, so maybe at some point we won’t fit into that. It’s always funny when you’re lumped in with other people. I never know what to think. But at the end of the day, just to get that appreciation is nice.”

On the road to Philly

Strohmer grew up in rural Maryland where he struggled to find an outlet for his creative impulses. Strohmer’s hometown didn’t have a music scene per se, but he found like-minded individuals who had a love for music and were looking for ways give their ideas musical shape.

“It was a conservative upbringing I had and there wasn’t a lot of artist knowledge or appreciation,” said Strohmer. “Not by the fault of anyone, it was just kind of the way it was. But there were some kids in our town who were into music. The way I got into it was this pure thing because it wasn’t just happening around us. It wasn’t just this thing to easily latch onto and be cool. People were doing it because they needed something there and it was this essential thing. I latched onto the passion of the music that was going on there, which was an extremely small scene.”

Strohmer eventually noticed that the older musicians in his circle were moving to Philly because there was more happening there in terms of the type of music they were making.

“I followed their path because I knew what I was into and what I was about and I didn’t really see that reflected [at home],” said Strohmer. “I wanted to come up here, somewhere where there would be other people who were interested in the things I was interested in.”

Knifeplay began as a solo bedroom project for Strohmer, but as his songwriting developed, his ambition grew, so he formed a full band to help realize his creative vision. After working with several different line-ups, Knifeplay has settled into a cohesive group that includes Alex Stackhouse (bass), Joey Ginaldi (drums), Max Black (piano, synths, string compositions),Johnny Klein (lead guitar), and Johanna Baumann (guitar, vocals).

“It was a gradual thing,” explained Strohmer. “The first full-length record was when I started inviting people to play on the songs, who were my close friends. I had trust there because I knew that they liked the music. The reason I started out doing everything myself was because I was very private about it at first. I knew I had a long way to go in terms of getting started. I had a lot to learn, so I was quietly doing my thing and not showing people for quite awhile.”

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Dark subjects, sweeping orchestration

Knifeplay’s lyrics cover dark nihilistic subject matter like drug addiction, loneliness, death, and self-destruction, sung by Strohmer in a yearning, pillow-soft voice, but the songs are lifted by swelling synths, towering guitars, and sweeping string orchestration. Their latest album, Animal Drowning, is their most exultant release yet, with gorgeous production by producer Jeff Zielgler.

“That was wonderful because Jeff is someone who understood what we were trying to do,” said Strohmer. “He was very patient with me as someone doing my first studio album. I feel we really merged our artistry because he has such a mastery of his equipment and his style, in terms of the sounds themselves. We were like two peas in a pod in there.”

There is a captivating juxtaposition between Strohmer’s melancholy lyrics and the band’s uplifting and titanically loud 3-guitar attack. Their quiet-loud dynamics were perfectly captured on a recent Audiotree Live performance on Youtube.

“I’m always trying to recreate certain feelings through the music,” explained Strohmer. “It’s definitely not a conscious effort to have that dichotomy, but I guess because I’m a human being that’s hopeful at times and nihilistic at other times, the reason to write about dark and sad things is because those realities strike a passion within the writer, and that’s where the uplifting aspect comes in. If I was completely nihilistic about the darker aspects, then there wouldn’t be any point. I wouldn’t feel this need to write it.”

“It’s an ongoing struggle to try to make a life out of your art. I feel like there will always be a fire there for me. There will always be an object for me to project dejection onto, just because it’s the way I am.”

If You Go >>

What: Dog Days Fest

When: 8:30 p.m., June 2

Where: El Rocko Lounge, 117 Whitaker St.

Cost: $20-160

Info: dogdayspresents.com