Two Point Oh are an NJ-based shoegaze band on the rise. Their 2025 EP “Smile” showcased the group's melodic, hazy sounds and stands as an excellent example of modern shoegaze with a variety of other influences setting it apart as well. To celebrate the release of their latest single The Sun, out today, we spoke with Cameron and Henry about their sonic influences, translating their multi-layered productions to live settings, and the bright future of the band.
1. How did the band first come together?
Cameron:
Henry and I grew up playing music together. We spent years starting bands, playing shows, writing songs, and trying to make sense of feeling heartbroken, depressed, and misunderstood in our hometown. By the time Two Point Oh came around, we'd both been through enough experiences to know what really mattered and what didn't. It was less about chasing anything and more about getting back in a room and making something real together again.
Henry:
Before this, we were in a band called Whiner for about eight years. After it ended, we took time apart, worked on our own projects, and eventually realized we work best together. We reconnected, wrote “Swallow,” and everything started to fall into place. Two Point Oh is really just an evolution of everything we've done before, same DNA, but sharper, more focused, and more honest about what we're trying to do.
It did take us a while to really sort out the lineup, and arguably, we still are. When we first started, we had Matt and Paul Rose from In Blue on drums and lead guitar. We’ve since added Lisa on keys and synth, Malachi on guitar, and I’m now on drums instead of rhythm guitar and synth.
2. Your shoegaze influence is one of the core parts of the project. What are your histories with shoegaze, and what drew you towards crafting your own take on it?
Cameron:
I was in a shoegaze band in upstate New York about fifteen years ago, and I immediately connected with how immersive and emotional the genre is. It can feel massive and chaotic but still deeply personal at the same time. Bands like DIIV and Nothing really pushed me to keep exploring guitar music and showed me it still had room to grow.
We’ve also been shaped heavily by the local New Jersey shoegaze and adjacent scene. A lot of our peers and friends have come from that world, and we’ve been lucky to be invited into it. Bands like our tourmates Lovewell from Massachusetts, Lying Season, Trichor, and Montage Montage are all part of that shared ecosystem, building their sound alongside ours. The Meatlocker in New Jersey has been a real anchor for all of us, giving us a place to be seen and heard.
We’re always eager to meet bands with similar sounds when we’re playing shows across the country, and that sense of community has become a huge part of what keeps us going. It’s also been really fun playing for high-energy shoegaze crowds and seeing a new generation of kids bring that same intensity you’d find in punk and hardcore shows. People are moshing, moving, and really interacting with the music in a way that makes the shows feel alive in a completely different way.
Henry:
For me, bands like Deftones and Gleemer were huge. On our new record, we’ve been working with Frank Maddox, the designer of Deftones White Pony artwork. I got really deep into studying how those records were made, the tones, the layering, and how everything fits together.
What I love about shoegaze is how unrestricted it is. It can be heavy, melodic, ambient, or all of it at once, and that flexibility is what keeps pulling us back.
Cheer, a band we’ve played with recently, have been amazing. We’re really eager to keep meeting and playing with bands like that as we travel and play shows across the country.
I think the main thing Cameron and I talk about is that this sound can exist anywhere. It isn’t limited to one scene or place. We want to take it everywhere we can.
3. Do you have a typical approach to writing new songs, or is the process always unique?
Henry:
The process is always changing. Sometimes Cameron brings in something nearly finished on acoustic guitar, other times it starts from a riff, a synth idea, or a loose concept. Once there’s a foundation, I focus on arranging it and figuring out how everything fits together.
We bring everything into Adam at Timber Studios once we’ve shaped it. He’s been a huge part of pushing us creatively and helping us refine what we do without losing the energy of it.
Cameron:
There aren’t really rules when it comes to songwriting. I spend a lot of time listening to music and focusing on what feels emotionally direct, then try to translate my own life into something honest.
A lot of that is also about processing experience and turning it into something that feels like it has purpose instead of just weight.
I usually start with acoustic guitar and a notebook so the song can stand on its own before production takes over.
Henry and I workshop everything together and then bring it to Adam, who helps refine structure, lyrics, timing, and spacing. He’s been a big part of shaping our sound.
The album is called Silver Stars, and it lives in that feeling of distance and waiting, almost like being in a tower of your own making. You’re looking out at life happening around you, waiting for your moment to come, but also learning how to exist inside that waiting.
A lot of it came from late night walks in Brooklyn where everything feels both isolated and connected at the same time. You never really see stars in New York City, but when you do, it hits differently. It became a reminder that even in solitude, you’re still part of something larger.
4. The production work on your songs is a huge part of where their power comes from. Are you meticulous in arranging your music, or is it more important to simply capture an idea?
Henry:
We’re very meticulous. We don’t hesitate to rewrite or rebuild songs if they aren’t working. Arrangement is everything for us. Every part has to serve the song and push it forward.
Working with Adam at Timber Studios has really helped us refine that mindset. He’s been instrumental in pushing us to get better without overcomplicating things.
Cameron:
At the same time, you have to trust instinct. If you overthink a song too much, you can lose what made it feel right in the first place. It’s about knowing when something is done and when it still needs work.
Malachi and Lisa have also changed how everything feels, especially live. They’ve expanded what the band can do and brought a lot of energy into the way the songs exist now.
5. You've been playing plenty of live shows in the tri-state area. Are there challenges bringing your sound to life live?
Henry:
The biggest challenge is translating layered recordings into something that works in real time. We often have multiple guitars, synths, and textures, so we have to decide what carries the energy without losing clarity.
Playing DIY venues means you’re constantly adapting to different rooms and sound systems.
Cameron:
There’s also the reality of being a working band: travel, gear, scheduling, and keeping everything together. We rehearse a lot and try to stay ready for anything.
A huge part of making it work is the people around us. Our manager Gary Bird and our designer Chris Rumeau have been essential in keeping everything moving.
At the end of the day, once we’re on stage, all of that disappears. That’s the part that matters.
6. Do live performances bring out something different in the music?
Cameron:
Definitely. Live shows make everything immediate. Every crowd shifts the energy, and that changes how the songs land.
Playing places like the Pet Shop in New Jersey, Purgatory in Brooklyn, and the Meatlocker has shown us how differently songs can hit depending on the room. Sometimes it becomes something more personal than you expect.
Henry:
Some songs expand a lot live. We can stretch sections, lean into atmosphere, and let things breathe more than on record.
With the newer material from Silver Stars, we’re still learning how it behaves live, which keeps it evolving.
7. Are there sounds or styles you want to explore next?
Henry:
I’m interested in blending shoegaze with more modern production, synths, 808s, cinematic layers, and heavier guitars. There’s a lot of room to experiment there.
Cameron:
We’re moving toward heavier influences, alternative metal and nu-metal elements, but also more ambient and stripped-back moments.
We’ve been listening to seminal acts like Superheaven and Title Fight, especially the Hyperview era, alongside peers like Fashn and others pushing similar sounds in different directions. Those records really shaped how we think about balancing heaviness and atmosphere.
8. What would you like the future of Two Point Oh to look like?
Cameron:
Touring nationally and internationally is the goal, along with releasing records on vinyl and continuing to build something sustainable. We want to keep growing without losing what made this exciting in the first place.
We’ve got Midwest touring coming up with Melodic Canvas from Detroit, and more routing in the works across the country. We like to dream it and then make it happen.
Finding a label that really believes in releasing our music on vinyl is a big focus right now.
Henry:
For me it’s about continuing to evolve and write better songs. As long as we’re pushing ourselves, that’s what matters.
At this point, we already feel lucky. We get to play music, travel, and do it with friends. That’s everything we wanted.
STREAM TWO POINT OH'S LATEST SINGLE “THE SUN” NOW:
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