Even before I checked out the band’s blurb, just listening to the opening bars made me think of Mazzy Star, so I wasn’t surprised to see that fantastic band listed as an influence, or an If you like that… point of reference. Sungaze may lean into more indie-rock territory rather than the oft dense swirl of blues, psychedelia, and roots of Mazzy Star, but they certainly share many of the same elements that made me love that band. I don’t think that this is going to be a hard sell. Not at all.
There is the same sense of drift and haze, here, a lot of space offset by the occasional burst of more intense sonics. Whereas Hope Sandoval often played on the little girl lost vocal vibe, Ivory Snow instead feels more mature, more dynamic, wandering between elegant deliveries, voice-as-instrument evocations, and, as the music behind her builds, anthemic highs.
“I’m No Longer Afraid of Heights” seems to exist between dense emotions and floating serenity (is dreamo a thing?), perfect for a song that juxtaposes feelings of childhood joy and nostalgia with the idea of an adult life less fulfilled and chances missed, as is the balance of bliss-filled sonics and sense of melancholy at its heart, a hymn for something lost, a poised pathos-infused prayer.
As a taste of the album of the same name to follow, “I’m No Longer Afraid of Heights” does what every good single must do: make you want to know more, explore a full album of such music…and that day is only a month or so away.
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