At the Doorway Again

Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions is a musical group founded by Mazzy Star vocalist Hope Sandoval and My Bloody Valentine drummer Colm Ó Cíosóig. Hot Press said the collaboration between the two was "not the most obvious musical coupling", describing Sandoval as the "queen of the American smoky folk/rock underground" and Ó Cíosóig as the "drummer and percussionist with the almost mythical Anglo-Irish, tremolo-happy distortionists [My Bloody Valentine]," but went on to call their work on At the Doorway Again a "very successful alliance." They said "Around My Smile" was a "tremendously atmospheric shimmerfest, with an almost otherworldly reverb from the guitars providing the perfect setting for Sandoval to sing those sweet, soft, sultry blues."^[1] AllMusic said the song illustrated "[Sandoval] at her most sexy" while comparing it to a 1950s ballad and the work of Julee Cruise.^[4]

"Charlotte" features acoustic guitar from Bert Jansch. Sandoval said that she had been a fan of Jansch "for many many years. Mazzy Star actually played a show with Bert I forget where in London. I just asked if he'd be into playing music together. And he said, 'Well, send me a tape and I'll tell you'. And so I sent him a tape of some of the songs and he really liked them. So he flew out to Oslo and we recorded for three days."^[1] He also performs on the Bavarian Fruit Bread track "Butterfly Mornings".^[5] AllMusic said of the remaining two songs: "Far away from the heavy or morose sounds of their previous bands, on the instrumental 'Sparkly', Sandoval whispers, warbles, and croons through beautiful acoustic guitars, light vibes, and strings, while on 'Down the Steps' she sings breathlessly over a simple piano progression."^[4]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]

AllMusic compared the EP to the work of Sandoval's previous band, saying that it was "not a radical departure from the Mazzy Star sound, filled as it is with dark, romantic lullabies; but where Mazzy Star have always had an element of psychedelia to their sound, At the Doorway Again abandons that style for sparse, lighter arrangements." They summarized by calling it a "fine start for both Sandoval and Ó Cíosóig".^[4] Washington City Paper echoed this sentiment, saying that although Ó Cíosóig was a "potentially more upbeat writing partner [than David Roback] ... [Sandoval's] Mazzyfied [sic] musical intent remains intact: complete listener sedation." They described the songs on the EP as "increasingly depressing", but summarized by saying: "Of course, there's something to be said for droning, turgid folk rock that induces full-body paralysis: The open-air, acoustic soundscapes here are consistently gorgeous and ultimately soothing, and Ji-Young Moon's weepy cello on 'Down the Steps' is the perfect heartache accompaniment to Sandoval's lilting, lulling voice."^[2]