Features | Awards

The Class of '93 Award for Least Changed Since High School

By Maura McAndrew | 17 December 2013

Mazzy Star :: Seasons of Your Day

A dream pop band with a ’90s dream girl frontwoman in Hope Sandoval, Mazzy Star is best remember for their one mainstream hit “Fade Into You,” a sleepy, irresistible ballad, played at many a high school prom back in the post-grunge days. More a respected indie band than a one-hit wonder, they released three strong records before going their separate ways in 1997. The nineties revival of the past few years set the stage for many nearly-forgotten bands to find each other—and their fans—again, so it wasn’t a huge surprise when Mazzy Star joined the fray. What was somewhat surprising, however, was how much they delivered—moreso than some of their better-known peers. A band whose early material sounds stronger now than it necessarily did among its contemporaries, Mazzy Star quietly released one of the best new albums this year with Seasons of Your Day, a gorgeous, lonely record full of echoing slide guitars, harmonica, organ, and of course the now-47-year-old Sandoval’s pure, lovely, and girlish voice. On Seasons, Sandoval and co. sound completely and impressively the same, if not better, than they sounded back in their MTV Buzzbin days. It’s a record that basically throws down with all of today’s ’90s wannabes: This is how it’s done, kids. Stay cool, Mazzy Star. Stay cool 4-ever.


► “California”