You might be aware that I’ve been on an aggressive music spree as of late — more or less influenced by the stuff I was working on as a writer at Alarm up until recently, which was some of the mathiest, metalliest, screamiest music I’ve been exposed to since my college roommate was a fan of Scandinavian metal. But now, a slice of life from my high school days arrives in the form of a new Mazzy Star track and a new Mazzy Star album — their first in 17 years. No, I wasn’t actually in high school when Among My Swan came out in 1996, but I was when I discovered their minor radio hit “Fade Into You” as well when Hope Sandoval launched the Warm Inventions project with Colm Ó Cíosóig of My Bloody Valentine. MBV was another of my favorites, both then and now. The connections were there, and I made them swiftly.

This track, “California,” is proof positive that Mazzy Star isn’t messing with their original formula of folksy guitar, crystalline vocals, and reverb, reverb, reverb. It’s a fairly simple song, with no “Fade Into You”-style hook, but there’s a sweetness about the melancholia hovering around its lyrics, which have to do with my own home state, that makes me think the balmy nights and aimless wandering that are quickly becoming a postmodern trademark of that area.

Check out the track below. “California” is also due to have a video out in August and Seasons of Your Day is set to be released on September 24 on Rhymes of an Hour.