Drop Nineteens coil back into the dream with new single "Fools"

Legendary American Shoegaze Band Drop Nineteens has released a new single, "Fools," marking a two-year silent return from one of the bands that helped launch the modern shoegaze movement. The song is their first new release since 2023's "Hard Light", and it's a powerful reminder that this band still knows how to make the walls shake from sheer emotion.

The track kicked off with bracing, crashing rebounds courtesy Zimmerman, reeling the band back into some of the king-size haze that just partly defined its early output on Delaware. Written by Motohiro Yasue, Paula Kelley, Peter Koeplin, and Steve Zimmerman, and produced by Greg Ackell and Zimmerman, "Fools" is a slow burn of sorts, dreamy but disorienting and distinctly human. 

 Paula Kelley's voice wafts through the echo like a ghost, and Ackell's weary delivery plants it all in muted openness. The result is a song that doesn't simply sound thoughtful, it feels timeless, like it's been there looming in the shadows since 1991. "Fools" hints at what to expect from Drop Nineteens' eagerly anticipated 2026 album. "Fools" is more than a comeback, it's a spell, and Drop Nineteens have cast it well.

Connect with Drop Nineteens on Instagram