I’m a big fan of dream pop and shoegaze. Bands like Beach House, Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, and My Bloody Valentine.

And as I’ve read more about the pioneers of those genres, I am always, always surprised to see Mazzy Star on that list.

Granted, until recently I’ve only been familiar with “Fade Into You,” the opening track, lead single, and a hit that is still a staple of indie dramedies. And it doesn’t really sound like dream pop. Sure, Hope Sandoval’s sedative, reverb-drowned voice hits all the dream pop buttons, but the lazily strummed acoustic guitars and swung drum set are much closer to alternative country than they are to anything Cocteau Twins ever did. And yet, “Fade Into You” kept popping up on my dream pop channel on Pandora.

I was intrigued, and so I delved into their definitive record. And I was a little surprised.

Most of the tracks are what you’d expect given the lead single. “Blue Light” is almost a remake, though with a bit more doo-wop. “Unreflected” adds an eastern tinge to their acoustic balladry.

But in a few spots across the album, they turn things up a bit. “Mary of Silence” is a druggy bit of psychedelic with Sandoval crooning over droning organs, a looping bass riff, and serpentine guitar feedback. It’s a startling left turn from the rest of the songs, but they go back there a few more times—most successfully on “So Tonight That I Might See,” the closing final track, which sounds like it was ripped off of Velvet Underground’s debut.

And even though those woozy, menacing tracks sound nothing like the more delicate acoustic-driven tracks, it brings them into a new perspective. It takes “Fade Into You” from a simple alt-country track to a subversive take on traditionalism. Not unlike Jesus and Mary Chain and the Ramones before them, Mazzy Star took simple pop structures and tweaked them until they sounded just weird enough.