mazie at House of Blues 12/14

mazie’s 2020 breakout single, “I Think I Wanna be Alone,” captured the attention of quarantined listeners everywhere. Something about the angst-ridden, existentialist lyricism—a resonant  sentiment for our formative years—became even more relatable in context of the various forms of isolation that we have experienced these past two and a half years. It was the first song she performed in her House of Blues debut and arguably her most popular. Its place in the setlist was fitting—the track is a testament to hope for the future, something society has desperately clung to despite the continued pandemic.   

Defying expectations of a sad ballad, “I Think I wanna be Alone” is deceptively cheerful. Packed with playful effects like bubbles popping and the sound of party horns against a simple piano accompaniment. This opening track signaled what was to come for the rest of the night. Even before mazie stepped foot on stage, the set design conveyed her colorful presence and playful persona. Whimsical decorations reminiscent of the Candyland board game filled the stage, and clips from the original animated Alice in Wonderland played on monitors.

While mazie’s songs sonically alluded to the kind of innocence that characterizes children’s entertainment, her lyrics contained a matter-of-factness and blunt honesty. In “I Think I Wanna be Alone,” mazie speaks about isolation with self-deprecating humor, while “no friends” captures collegiate loneliness and angst. She does this all with a constant awareness—an unexpected detour from expectations for her pop-princess persona. That’s exactly what intrigued me about mazie: she toed the line between fun and fatalism, joyous surrealism and sobering malaise. Song after song, glimmering sounds and bright tones juxtaposed perfectly with her lyrics to create sugar-coated tunes that were darkly existential at their core.

Despite only performing five of her songs, mazie used her time excellently, demonstrating her versatility, stage presence, and overall potential. I am, admittedly, not a huge fan of bubblegum pop music like mazie’s, but seeing her perform was refreshing. mazie’s music was fun. The energy she brought was palpable, and at several points, she even acknowledged she “didn’t do enough cardio to prepare for this show.” Her genuine demeanor, accompanying music full of saccharine sounds and pop-princess melodies, is what really impressed me. When it came time for her to sing her closer—“dumb dumb”—I was wishing this surreal pop dream wasn’t coming to an end.