Magdalena Bay, comprised of songwriters and co-producers Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin, levitates to dreamlike realms on their latest record Imaginal Disk, continuing to redefine and push the boundaries of traditional pop. Released under Mom + Pop Music, the synth-wave and dream pop sophomore album amplifies the duo’s DIY retrofuturism and early internet-inspired digital culture aesthetics. Imaginal Disk weaves nostalgic themes of yearning and isolation throughout the tracklist while constructing a futuristic world.
Based in LA, the alternate pop duo has been creating music for almost a decade, releasing three EPs, three mixtapes, and a debut album before Imaginal Disk. Magdalena Bay has grown a niche audience since the pandemic, but their most viral moment occurred with their 2019 single "Killshot" on TikTok. It acted as a precursor to their critically acclaimed debut album Mercurial World which has received praise from numerous musicheads. Many of their inspirations for their wider music style stem from Grimes, Charli XCX, and Chairlift, and recently, an affinity for Björk's score for the 2000 film Dancer In The Dark.
Opening with looping robotic cries and cassette tape glitches, “She Looked Like Me!” suggests reflecting on the reinvention of past selves and the immaturity that exists. The track ventures up and down this idea, journeying through valleys of triumphant electronic drums and digitized soothing chime-like sounds.
“Killing Time” kindles a summery, energetic groove with crisp, steady percussion and warping, hazy synthesizers. Tenenbaum sings about the endless loop of monotony on Earth, seeking ways to find purpose in life to eliminate idleness. Society treats time as a breathing thing that can die or be spent, but it is just a concept: “Count up all the years that we spend asleep/ If time is meant for living, why's it killing me?"
The first interlude of Imaginal Disk, “True Blue Interlude,” serves as an aquatic transitional track that voyages into the inner workings of contemplation and reflection. Tenenbaum’s angelic reverbed vocals flood the body of art, integrating celestial chimes that give the interlude a sense of high purity.
In sharp contrast to “True Blue Interlude,” the fourth track “Image” quickens the album's tempo and introduces a repeating chorus. “Image” wallows in shimmering synths, which have an underlying darkness to them, feeling hypnotic and dazed in uncertainty. The narrator experiences self-rebranding through the song, and in the end, becomes so unrecognizable that a reflection evolves into “a two-way mirror.”
The lead single “Death & Romance” opens with an uplifting piano riff, exploring love and loss through ambient and cosmic themes. The symbol of a red giant star suggests a dying love but still looks admirable in the distance. The desire for a connection comes with the reality of separation, but romance lingers as grief in the presence of the loss of a connection. With its emotive, stargazing melodies, "Death & Romance" feels similar to Grimes' "World Princess Part II" from Art Angels, both speaking on universal elements and love.
“Fear, Sex” drops the tempo with twinkling, music box-like soundbites that blend into punchy synths. The track builds on “Death & Romance”, journeying through the high thrills of intimacy yet the underlying anxieties associated with it. The narrator is also terrified of living in isolation, which acts as a callback to "Killing Time": "Please don't die alonе, overhead/ I'll surrendеr to the voices in the end." The end of the song feels like falling down an endless spiral staircase, losing grip on reality.
Dream pop anthem “Vampire in the Corner” bathes in a dark, mysterious soundscape that blends seamlessly with Tenebaum’s emotive and cathartic whines and whispers reminiscent of Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love. The vampire represents a draining entity in the narrator's life, coexisting with haunting isolation and listening to internal demons.
“Watching T.V.” highlights the common motifs seen in Magdalena Bay’s digitized aesthetics, portraying media as a means of escapism and a distant portal. The track has a looping overture reminiscent of a retro video game from the 90s, playing into the duo’s way of interpreting nostalgia in sound. Intentional technical glitches and electronic distortions coat “Watching T.V.” and reach a cathartic peak that feels like alien technology.
“Tunnel Vision” mimics the similar slow-burn song structure to “Watching T.V.”, beginning with dreamy harp-like instruments and concluding with an explosive rock instrumental outro. It exudes the constricting feelings of becoming narrowly obsessed with something and manifesting into self-sabotage and lack of focus.
The warm groove of the second track “Killing Time” revisits “Love is Everywhere” and feels like the grand escape from the dark journey the narrator endured since the start of the album. Bright synths and catchy melodies paint a joyful atmosphere that uplifts moods, in the mix with string instruments that feel comparable to Chairlift's Moth production palette.
The final interlude of Imaginal Disk “Feeling DiskInserted?” captures the common themes of the record in a brief snippet, longing for reconnection in the isolation of others with delicate instrumentation.
"That’s My Floor" differentiates itself from the rest of the album in becoming self-assertive and claiming an identity unique to others. The grungy and forward vocal approach complements the guitar-like synths, adding to the overarching message of defining personal boundaries. With the balance between electronic sounds and emotional vulnerability, "That's My Floor" represents Magdalena Bay's willingness to explore how deep their production style goes.
String instruments and revitalizing synthesizers on "Cry for Me" transport us to the 70s disco, dreaming of the "crying in the club" sounds of ABBA and their melancholic pop songs, such as "Dancing Queen." The hauntingly beautiful track evokes emotive depth, especially in the repeating line "Think of love when you remember me." Tenenbaum’s vocals continue to deliver raw emotion, adding to the yearning introspection faced on Imaginal Disk.
"Angel on a Satellite" shifts into a more minimal production, with somber piano chords and Telenbaum's softness in speech being the contributing factors. The emotional distance the track implies is like drifting aimlessly in space, pleading for a connection that once existed.
The closing track on the album "The Ballad of Matt & Mica" serves as a callback to the first song on the album "She Looked Like Me!" within their dreamy soundscapes. Both songs echo the same vocal delivery and similar lyrics in their last verses, with "That's my curse, that's my name / Bang-bang and it's customary / Ordinary" in "She Looked Like Me!" and "Bang-bang, never-ending / Is it my luck? Is it my fate? / Not ordinary" in "The Ballad of Matt & Mica." In doing this, it captures a thematic cycle of the album and has become the reinvention and personal identity previously discussed.
Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay signifies the duo's mastery of blending nostalgic influences with futuristic-sounding instrumentation that creates an alienistic realm. Through their arsenal of various synths and contemplative lyrics, the record navigates themes of yearning, connection, and self-awareness in ways unique to the pop genre. Magdalena Bay offers a fresh perspective that they continue to show in their discography, and Imaginal Disk guarantees an exhilarating experience for fanatics of both retro and contemporary sounds.
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