Whimsical

Formed in 1999 in northwest Indiana, shoegaze band Whimsical explore guitar-powered dream pop with strong influences from the more accessible side of goth pop, melding Slowdive-esque instrumentals with melodies nodding to bands like the Cure, Velocity Girl, and the Cranberries. Over the course of a fruitful first run that lasted from their inception to 2005, guitarist Neil Burkdoll and vocalist Krissy Vanderwoude served as core members, with bassists Brian Booher, Joe Santelik, and Mike Bailey, drummers Tim Fogle and Andy Muntean, and guitarist Mark Milliron all coming and going from the lineup over the years. Various incarnations of the band played live shows and completed a demo, single, and debut full-length, Setting Suns are Semi-Circles, released on Seraph Records in 2000. Work was begun on a second album, but Whimsical disbanded in 2005 with recordings for the follow-up just shy of completion. In 2016, Burkdoll and Vanderwoude decided to bring Whimsical back from the grave, finishing new recordings as a two-piece that would culminate in the 2017 full-length Sleep to Dream. Brought to Light, a compilation of cover songs, was released digitally in 2019. Nov 5, 2019 saw the release of the bands third full length, Bright Smiles & Broken Hearts. Now signed to Shelflife Records, Whimsical released the Gravity 7" in July of 2021. April 2022 sees the release of their fourth album, Melt, through Shelflife Records in the states and Through Love Records in Europe.