China Lake

Little is known about the song China Lake by Mistress from their self-titled album Mistress, as the band has kept details sparse, cultivating an air of mystery. In a rare 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, lead vocalist Aria Vayne hinted that China Lake was inspired by a late-night drive through the California desert, where the band stumbled upon an abandoned naval base under a starlit sky. Vayne described the experience as "haunting, like the ghosts of old war machines were humming along with us." The song’s hypnotic bassline and ethereal synths are said to echo that eerie, otherworldly vibe. A 2019 post on Mistress’s X account shared a cryptic tidbit: "China Lake isn’t just a place—it’s a state of mind where chaos meets calm." Fans on the Mistress Freaks Facebook group speculate the lyrics reference a lost love or a metaphor for inner turmoil, though the band has never confirmed these theories.

Another piece of trivia comes from a 2020 Instagram live session hosted by Mistress, where drummer Zane Quill revealed that the song’s iconic reverb-heavy guitar riff was accidentally discovered during a studio jam session when a faulty amp sparked and altered the sound. The band loved the raw, distorted edge and kept it in the final mix. A fan website, Mistress Fandom, notes that China Lake is a staple at live shows, often extended into a 10-minute psychedelic jam that sends Zoo Freaks into a frenzy. The site also mentions a 2021 concert in San Francisco where Vayne dedicated the song to "all the wanderers searching for their own desert truth," sparking debates among fans about its deeper meaning.

Mistress began as a DIY project in 2015 in a cramped Los Angeles garage, where Aria Vayne (vocals), Zane Quill (drums), and synth wizard Luna Marrow met through mutual friends in the underground rave scene. According to their bio on their official website, the trio bonded over a shared love for 70s krautrock, 80s new wave, and modern electronica. Vayne, who grew up in a small Oregon town, taught herself guitar at 15 and started writing poetry that later became lyrics. Quill, a former punk band dropout, brought a gritty energy, while Marrow, a classically trained pianist, added the atmospheric textures that define Mistress’s sound. Their first gig was at a dive bar in Echo Park, where they played to a crowd of 12 but caught the ear of a local promoter who booked them for a festival slot.

By 2017, Mistress had self-released their debut EP, Moonlit Static, which gained traction on their Facebook page and through word-of-mouth in the indie scene. The Mistress Fandom site details how the band’s early days were marked by relentless gigging and late-night studio sessions fueled by coffee and thrift-store vinyl records. Their breakthrough came when China Lake from their 2019 album Mistress was picked up by college radio stations, including THE ZOO, where the Zoo Crew championed its trippy vibe. Vayne shared in a 2020 X post that the band’s ethos is "to make music that feels like a fever dream you don’t want to wake from." Today, Mistress continues to engage fans through their Instagram, where they post cryptic art and behind-the-scenes clips, and the Mistress Freaks Facebook group, where Zoo Freaks and other devotees share bootleg recordings and fan art.