Are an Irish-English alternative rock band formed in Dublin in 1983 and consisting since 1987 of founding members Kevin Shields and Colm Ó Cíosóig, with Bilinda Butcher and Debbie Googe. Often cited as a pioneering act in the shoegaze genre, their sound is characterized by dissonant guitar textures, subdued and androgynous vocals, and unorthodox production techniques
