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Magdalena Bay is one of my favorite music duos on the scene right now. I know their music best by their debut album, Murcurial World (2021), as well as their extended plays (EP)—Mini Mix volumes 1-3 (2019-2023), and A Little Rhythm and a Wicked Feeling (2020). Now, they’re back with their second studio album, Imaginal Disk. Released on August 23, 2024, this latest offering follows the same vein as a lot of their previous work, while also keeping it fresh and interesting. And with that, welcome back to the music minded corner of Our Thoughts Precisely!
Imaginal Disk falls right into synth/dance pop, and it’s done with Magdalena Bay’s usual flare. A little strange, completely fun, thematic, and with something a little dark but also light and dreamy to it (which was really sticking to the concept behind the album). (And if you have the chance, I recommend reading about it.) It also brought in some rock influences, such as on the single Tunnel Vision—one of my personal favorites off the album—That’s My Floor, and Love Is Everywhere. It also wasn’t afraid to slow the tempo down by a notch on tracks like Vampire in the Corner, Cry for Me, and Watching T.V., without losing the almost cinematic atmosphere that defines much of the album.
Magdalena Bay knocked it out of the park with Imaginal Disk. It was dramatic in all the right ways, and honestly, at the end of the day, just good music. So if you’ve enjoyed this duo’s music in the past, you’ll likely love Imaginal Disk too.
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Some of the music that kept me entertained in September was Juno, Remi Wolf’s album, as well as the deluxe version of Magdalena Bay’s Mercurial World.
Juno is the October 2021 debut album by Remi Wolf. I came across it well after its release date, because the sixth song, Volkiano, crossed my feed. It was an instant hit for me, and I quickly went on to listen to the rest of Juno. This album is a strong debut for Remi Wolf. The songs were fun, and the execution of the lyrics and vocals was superb. I also liked the music videos that were released in support of Juno. They were colorful and retro—the filming had a soft grainy quality to it—which reminded me of old cartoons or shows from the 90s.
Magdalena Bay released a deluxe version of Mercurial World on September 23, almost a year after the original’s initial launch date of October 8, 2021. I’m always interested in special versions of albums, particularly to see what the artists decide to add. Mercurial World’s deluxe adds a couple of new songs, remixes, instrumental versions, and 15 “Secrets” divided between eight intermission-type tracks (which added to the immersion). Mercurial World was already a great album, and I thoroughly enjoyed the robust list of additions.
What have you been listening to lately?
Magdalena Bay’s Mercurial World was one of the three albums I was waiting for in October. I first listened to their music during the summer—I even did a post about going through their backlist songs HERE—and since then I have been waiting for their album. And it didn’t disappoint.
Mercurial World is one of my favorite albums of the year, and it surprised me in all the right ways. And that’s saying something because my hopes were so high for it. Mercurial World has the feel and sound of Magdalena Bay’s music that I’ve come to expect—that distinctive style that blends synth, electronic, and pop—which I loved. The transition between the songs was near seamless, and the overall listening experience was great with how easily the album flowed from one song to the next. It felt like it was over too soon, but it was longer than Mini Mix vol.1 and vol. 2. I’ve already replayed Mercurial World several times since its release.
Each song felt very individual, but as I mentioned above, there was a distinct sound that made it part of the whole picture. The singles Chaeri, You Lose!, and Secrets (Your Fire) are already recognizable—I even picked Chaeri for a Music Monday post a while ago HERE. Some of my other favorite songs, in no particular order, include: Dreamcatching, Mercurial World, Prophecy, Follow the Leader, Domino, and The Beginning.
All-in-all, Mercurial World was an incredibly strong debut album.
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Last month, I added another group to my playlist called Magdalena Bay. I really liked their song, Cheari, and spent some time exploring their backlist of music in preparation for their album, Mercurial World, which will be released on October 8, 2021.
My first foray was one of their 2020 releases: A Little Rhythm and a Wicked Feeling. Totaling at eight tracks, this album was really good. The overall sound reminded me of the same style of Cheari, which was pop and electronic track (I mentioned it on a Music Monday post a few weeks back). The uniformity didn’t mean that it was boring though, far from it actually. There was plenty to find here.
Next, I tackled the first part out of two EPs called Mini Mix vol. 1. Magdalena Bay has a particular style to their music, which is easy enough to pick up on. Mini Mix vol.1 had the same kind of electronic/pop type sound as their album, except it had a slightly mellower feel to it than the upbeat tone to A Little Rhythm and a Wicked Feeling. It often felt kind of experimental. The songs were way shorter here with the longest coming in at two minutes and twenty-three seconds. Another artist who did this was Tierra Whack (Whack World was a full length album with fifteen songs that were only a minute each). And just like with Whack World, I wished that a few of Mini Mix vol. 1 tracks were longer than they were such as Turning Off The Rain, Afternoon in Heaven, and U Wanna Dance?.
From there, I jumped right into Mini Mix vol. 2, which was their second 2020 release. I was much more prepared for the length of the songs, which were all under three minutes here as well. Still, there was so much to like about it. I won’t go on too long rehashing the type of music you’ll find, since much of what I said about Mini Mix vol. 1 also applies to the second EP. Some of my favorites from vol.2 were Sky2Fall, Body, Live 4ever, and Sky2Fall Reprise.
Despite the short length of the songs, Mini Mix vol. 1 and vol. 2 offered a good variety of bite-sized offerings of Magdalena Bay’s music.
Overall, I recommend all three. And now, I will be over here waiting for Mercurial World.
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