Magdalena Bay has just announced that their newest album, Imaginal Disk, will release on August 23rd. On July 10th, however, the electronic pop group gave fans a taste of the project to come with “Image,” yet another single off of the upcoming album following “Death & Romance”, which dropped on May 28th.
The duo’s latest release is avant-garde and extraterrestrial, haunting, driven, and at once enthralling and unsettling. When speaking on the single in a press release, the band said, “Close your eyes. Imagine a brand new, better you. Now wait 22 minutes. Now open your eyes. Meet your brand new image! Isn’t it amazing that the meat in our heads can do this?” And this, in typical Magdalena Bay fashion, perfectly encapsulates the unusual magic of their music.
The track is driven by synths and grooving percussion and is both nostalgic and modern. It begins as a mellow, vaporwave pop song but evolves to become a shimmering, intense soundscape that is undeniably “in the pocket.” According to Jon Blisten of Rolling Stone, “Image” “gets at the inescapable (sometimes disconcerting) allure of self reinvention.” Indeed, this track is an ode to the seduction of transformation. It opens with vocalist Mica Tenenbaum singing, “time to start the clock, from the top / I need confidence,” underscoring her desire for a new beginning, and the inevitable connection between the actualization of self-confidence with a fresh start. The song reaches a musical peak with the addition of distorted bass as she pleads, “But oh my god / Make me in your image.” Her desire for change has putrefied into a desire for perfection, or a need to become godlike.
"time to start the clock, from the top / I need confidence"
Accompanying the single is a psychedelic music video which features the duo in a futuristic waiting room. Tenenbaum is 22 minutes away from receiving an “imaginal disk” which will presumably upgrade her to become the flawless individual she longs to be throughout the song. The video is disturbing, fantastical, and engrossing, and it truly enhances the listening experience.
Magdalena Bay never fails to push boundaries and is never afraid to be unconventional. This rings true in “Image”, the “imaginal disk” of music sure to transcend space, time, and genre. With just over a month until their album release, the future is looking bright for this groundbreaking duo.
What do you want to see on Enharmonic Magazine next? Let us know.
Comments