There are artists people listen to and love. And then there are artists who become a lifeline. For me, that lifeline came in the form of Mazzy Star, or more precisely, in the dreamlike voice of Hope Sandoval.
I was 16 years old when I first listened to Mazzy Star. A junior in high school, drifting through one of the hardest years of my life. I had just gone through a messy breakup, the kind that feels earth-shattering when you’re at that age. Nothing could quite reach me, not friends or family, not even my usual sources of comfort.
Then came Mazzy Star. The moment a single guitar string played and her voice met my ears, so soft and ethereal, I felt something shift. It felt like she was singing just to me. I was immediately drawn to their debut album “She Hangs Brightly”, specifically the song “Before I Sleep,” a song that quickly became my personal gospel.
I have a connection with each of the 11 songs so deep that I have memorized every lyric. Songs like “Halah”, “Ride It On”, and “Be My Angel” each anchor different emotional coordinates. To call this album perfect almost feels like underselling it. It’s not just perfect, it’s essential. Each song hits a quiet part of my soul that most music doesn’t even dare to approach. It was the first time I had felt seen by sound.
I can recall several nights awake in my bed until 2 a.m. with Mazzy Star’s “Before I Sleep” playing softly through my earbuds. The hush in Sandoval’s voice felt like a whisper meant only for me. It didn’t cheer me up or pull me out; it just sat with me in the dark and for once, that was enough.
When people ask me what kind of music I listen to, I usually hesitate. Not because I’m embarrassed, but because Mazzy Star isn’t a genre, it’s an experience. It’s what I shuffle when I can’t sleep, it’s what plays on loop during late-night drives with people I barely know. It’s what fills the silence when I’m trying to concentrate or forget.
There’s this stillness in Sandoval’s voice that makes you completely stop whatever you’re doing. She doesn’t sing to impress, she sings to express. That understated honesty is what makes her vocals feel like home. Some singers aim for the spotlight, while Sandoval lives in the shadows, which is where the richest emotions are found.
I own “She Hangs Brightly” on CD, a prized possession. I’ve been hunting for the album on vinyl with no luck, though I proudly own “Still” and “So Tonight That I Might See”, both of which I play religiously. Vinyl is truly the only medium that does justice to the textured layers of Mazzy Star.
Of course, most people know Mazzy Star for their 1993 hit “Fade Into You,”a beautiful track that has finally made its way to the public eye. But for longtime listeners, the deep cuts is where the magic truly lies. “She Hangs Brightly” showcases that one after another. Each song is a quiet storm, whispering a silent confession.
I don’t know where I’d be without Mazzy Star. Though it may sound dramatic, music can do that to you. It becomes your sanctuary, something you constantly go back to for grounding.
In a world full of constant noise, Mazzy Star offers not emptiness, but a quiet that heals.
