Magic Bronson's EP 'Evil Plans' challenges genre limits [Q&A]

Transcending genre and defying boundaries, Magic Bronson have just released their highly anticipated EP Evil Plans. Featuring elements of hip-hop, indie rock and electro pop, the EP generates a unique multitude of sounds within each track, blending together effortlessly. With slick vocals and catchy cool rhythms, each song fits perfectly with the next, while still standing out on its own. Magic Bronson’s bold lyrics and defiant attitude make them a true success. I got the chance to speak with Magic Bronson and discuss their EP inspirations, band name and more.

EM: What inspired you to write Evil Plans and what was the writing process like when creating the EP?

MB: "The EP was inspired by the feelings of nervousness and anxiety that’s so prevalent in today’s world and the need to find some sort of escape amongst the madness and turmoil. We are so bombarded by information and media that it can be very overwhelming, and sometimes you need to just tune it out and figure out a way to unwind. It’s the first release that we've fully recorded and produced in our own studio without any outside help. Each song on the EP went though multiple revisions and arrangements over the course of 3 years and we really tried to expand our instrumentation utilizing horns and violin to push the envelope on each track. All our songs either start with one of us creating a demo beat and then getting together to work on it or starting in the studio together from scratch and building it into a full song. 

EM: I understand "Evil Plans" (single) is about a high school student who has thoughts of revenge after being bullied, what advice would you give to kids who are experiencing bullying?

MB: "I think it’s really important to talk about what you're feeling and experiencing and not let it bottle up inside. Whether it’s your mom or dad or a teacher or counselor at school, finding someone you can turn to is key."

EM: Magic Bronson is a mash-up of Magic Johnson and Charles Bronson (the English Criminal). What made you decide to pair those two people together when creating the band’s name?

MB: "When we were starting out we were trying to come up with a name for a while and wanting something that was a play on words / mash-up type. I had just watched the movie "Bronson" on Netflix with Tom Hardy and Magic Johnson was in the LA news a bunch because he had just become a partial owner of the Dodgers. We were in the backyard of the studio one day and I just blurted out how about Magic Bronson? We both laughed and decided that would be it. Let me also say that this was before we'd ever knew someone named Action Bronson existed. Although it was pretty funny when Action Bronson changed his Twitter handle to Magic Bronson for a few weeks."

EM: I understand some of your influences include Kanye West, The Strokes, and Years and Years. What lead you to produce the kind of music that ignores genre boundaries?

MB: "We both have pretty wide-ranging music tastes and both played in bands ranging from hip-hop to metal and reggae before forming Magic Bronson. There’s nothing that’s really off-limits in the studio when we are writing and I think that translates to the songs we make. For us it’s more about finding great sounds and tones then sticking to a certain genre or formula. If it’s catchy and makes us move then we are usually going to go for it regardless if it hops between genres."

EM: So you’ve had success being featured in some major ads and TV shows, as well as some airplay. What is the next step for Magic Bronson?

MB: "We are in the studio now working on a full length for next summer and hope to support that with some great festival and tour dates. We did a 23-date US tour with Transviolet in June so we’d really like to get back on the road and revisit those cities as well as get overseas to play in the UK in 2019."

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