Dawning Of The Season - A Magdalena Bay Retrospective(Redux)

  In September of 2024, I was looking for new albums because that was the year where I listened to the most new music. There were several releases by artists I already listened to, like Brittany Howard, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Justice, and St. Vincent. There were also albums that ended up being my gateway into certain artists, like Charli XCX, Ginger Root, and Jamie XX. But then I saw a review for a certain album. Then another. Then another claiming it was album of the year. Without listening to any of the singles off of it, I downloaded it and went into it completely blind. That album was the Prog Pop record Imaginal Disk by the duo of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin, aka Magdalena Bay: the band in 2024 that blew my mind.

Background: As previously mentioned, Magdalena Bay is a Florida based duo formed of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin. Long before forming the band, they met in an after-school music program while doing classic rock covers where they would eventually form the progressive rock group Tabula Rasa. The group were inspired by classic bands like Genesis, King Crimson, and Yes. That would only last for two albums and an EP (One of those projects called Crimson, which of course I listened to). Tabula Rasa’s breakup happened because Matt and Mica, as well as their bandmates, all went to different colleges, which made it very difficult to record prog rock. But it was easier to make something like electropop long distance, AKA, a genre in which the duo had no experience or much knowledge. They figured out that while it was easier to put a pop song together remotely, it still had difficulties. Something they took as a challenge. With Mica sticking to vocals and picking up a keytar, Matt handling the other instrumentation and production, as well as taking inspiration from a distant co-worker’s name (Maggie Bay), they formed Magdalena Bay in 2016.

2019 - Day/Pop and Night/Pop EPs: Starting their discography off, Matt and Mica dropped their Day/Pop and Night/Pop EPs a few days apart in January 2019. There’s not much I could really find about these two records, and they don’t hold much in the grand scheme of things for the duo. The only thing I could find is that they performed the songs live for a few shows back in 2019. There are some details of these EPs I find interesting, though. Some aspects of their music are rare like Matt doing some vocals with the pair of opening tracks of Waking Up and Neon. Another rarity is doing covers. They cover Tears For Fears with Head Over Heels and Childish Gambino with Redbone. While I’m mixed on their version of Redbone, the Head Over Heels cover is pretty solid and shows them nailing a retro-futuristic sound. A sound they will keep on running with. 

One thing that feels different from most of their work is Mica’s singing voice, which sounds a little lower register than how it sounds on something like Imaginal Disk. It feels surreal to hear the 80s synth-pop of Mag Bay mixed with Mica’s vocal stylings of Tabula Rasa. Outside of that, these EPs are fine. They're a solid start, and I recommend them more for visiting after checking out the albums that come afterward than a starting point.

2019/2020 - Mini Mix 1, 2, A Little Rhythm And A Little Wicked Feeling EP : Through 2019 and 2020, the duo will continue with EPs and Mixtapes after signing with Luminelle Recordings, starting their Mini Mix series. The Mini Mix series is composed of really short songs messing with different pop sounds. I don't have much to say about them other than they’re solid pop songs. Some details I like from the tracks include: Them starting each Mix with “You’re listening to, Mag-da-lenaaa Baaaay”, “WHO WANTS THE BASS??” in Turning Off The Rain, the “Woooooww, I hate you, get out my face, with your stupid face!!” from Woww. Like their first two EPs, I recommend people to check these out after or between listening to their main albums.

Outside of the main studio albums, my favorite project is the A Little Rhythm and a Wicked Feeling EP. It’s more of the straightforward, psychedelic-pop they’ve done up to this point, but it has the band’s most well-crafted songs so far. The opener of How To Get Physical, Good Intentions, Venice, and the biggest song on the album, Killshot, are the highlights. I don’t have much else to say about the EP besides it is a solid set of pop pulling from disco and electronic sounds from the 2000s and 2010s. They would continue gaining a cult following with some very trippy and surreal music videos, as well as Killshot getting huge on TikTok. They even dropped a slowed and reverb version of the track.

2021 - Mercurial World (1st Album): Back in 2020, Mag Bay were supposed to go on to tour their EPs and Mixtapes, but because it was 2020, the tour was canceled. So, they spent their time working on the first full-length album and expanding their sound. While I enjoyed their first few projects, they don’t really stand out compared to other electropop and synthpop artists up to this point. But those were the duo just sharpening their swords. This was just the beginning, or, in  Mica’s words, “The End.” On October 8th, 2021, they would drop their full-length debut, Mercurial World. At the jump, they hit you with the existential question of “What’s the end, anyway?” From there, the band takes you on a journey through dance floor ready tracks full of existential dread.

This point forward, the band slowly incorporated the Prog Rock sound from their previous band with their current pop sound. Quite a few of the songs on this album sound bigger and more cinematic. Going back to the opening song, The End, starts with thought provoking questions and a fear of an ever-changing world. That continues to the title track, putting massive scale to the fear of the world falling apart while you’re in love with someone. Tracks like on Secrets(Your Fire), Chaeri, and You Lose! combine the apocalyptic with stress and depression. While all that is happening with the songwriting, these songs groove! Mica’s vocals are amazing on each song, but Matthew’s production and playing are just as brilliant. I had Secrets(Your Fire) on a loop for the longest time. It’s their best song up to this point, with striking synthesizers, bass guitar, and saxophone from Giacomo Cazzaro and Juan Ignacio Varela. The song even has an interpolation of Say You’ll Be There by the Spice Girls. It’s something I absolutely want to hear on a dance floor or while on a roller rink at some point.

Continuing with the striking melodies, there’s also the previously brought up Chaeri, Dawning of the Season, Hysterical Us, Something for 2, and the closing track, The Beginning. Those last three being the most optimistic tracks in such an existential project. The Beginning, a song about coming to terms with facing an unpredictable world with a lover, actually loops right back into The End,with the album being a constant cycle of cynicism and optimism. 

Mercurial World was a critical success, getting good reviews and gaining the band a larger cult following in the indie circles. They even opened for artists like Flume, Porter Robinson, and Charli XCX, as well as go on their own headlining tour, The Mercurial Tour. A year later, they dropped the deluxe edition of Mercurial World, which added more songs, remixes and alternate takes. There are also voice mails from fans, known as “Secrets,” which people submitted to mercurialworld.com. That website would also have plenty of easter eggs and hidden lore for the album. While I’ve done my research on the band, I haven't really dug into that side of the duo’s lore. Back to the deluxe edition, it feels like a New Game Plus for the album. All the bonus tracks are intertwined with the album’s original tracks, and while they’re a nice edition, I prefer listening to the OG version.

2024 - Imaginal Disk (2nd Album): After all that, we get to the main event. Well, before that, there’s their Mini Mix Vol. 3 in 2023, which is probably the best Mini Mix. Songs like 2 Wheel Drive and Top Dog are a good time, but just like the other ones, I don’t have much to say about it. I do have a lot to say about their second album. An album that the duo teased would be “The Next Phase” in a press release when they signed to Mom+Pop Music. On August 23rd, 2024, Magdalena Bay unleashed Imaginal Disk.

Where do I even start with this album? Before I start gushing about this thing, I should give some more background info. The duo began recording back in 2022, where they would dig deeper into their prog rock and prog pop influences, like Peter Gabriel, ELO, and Pink Floyd. They also took inspiration from artists like Paul McCartney, St. Vincent, Fiona Apple, and even movies like Suspiria, Flash Gordon, and Hausu(House). When you combine all that you get a concept record that feels very dreamlike, with a story that feels almost like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The story’s main character has to deal with break ups, an identity crisis, and trying to break cycles, mixing it with a surreal and abstract 80s/90s Sci-Fi feel. The album plays the story a little loose, though. In an interview with Vogue, Mica said, “It was very much a case of songs first, concept later.” Since its release, I’ve seen multiple interpretations of what the album is about. I want to dig deeper into the storytelling another time, but for now, how does it sound?

This album clicked with me on first listen, but not entirely at first. I liked the opener, She Looked Like Me! and enjoyed how cinematic it sounded. I didn’t think much of it at first, though. While I enjoyed the next songs that would come after,(I’ll get back to those in a moment) it was Death And Romance where this felt truly special. If I had to pick my favorite song of 2024, it would probably be that one. I had it playing on loop before I even went back to the rest of the album. Matt’s striking instrumentals(keyboard, synths, and studio drumming) as well as Mica’s gorgeous and infectious voice had me in a trance for DAYS. One of my favorite details in the whole album is when they have her vocals bleed in with the instrumental right before the second chorus. It’s a perfect pop song.

Once I finally got to the rest of the album, it felt like the rest of the songs finally unlocked. I adore how detail-rich everything is and how songs like Killing Time, Image, Vampire In The Corner, Tunnel Vision, and Watching TV, start off as pretty tame pop rock tracks that transform into behemoths by the end. Especially with Watching TV being the most prog rock thing the band has done since Tabula Rasa, taking you on a self-destructive, glitchy meltdown. The parts towards the end with Mica’s voice rising to yell “It’s time to meet the monsters around you. It’s time to meet the monsters inside you,” while the drums are stuttering like the song is almost about to have the wheels fall off gives me chills every time. They’ve really mastered how to make songs progress and get the most out of a sound.

One of the other huge bright spots is the album's pacing. Almost all the songs flow into each other, feeling seamless while making the whole record feel dreamlike. It’s one of those albums that loves to immerse you in its world and play by its own rules. Hell, the interludes, True Blue Interlude and Feeling Diskinserted? are outstanding on their own. The former sounding so soothing and refreshing while setting up some of the story details and even a title drop for the album, and the latter being the calm before the storm that is the last chunk of the album. 

That final leg of the album takes you from the St. Vincent-inspired fuzz rock of That’s My Floor, into the described “villain song,” Cry For Me, which pulls heavily from Disco, complete with a 70s/80s fade out. From there they go into the tear-jerker ending combo of Angel On A Satellite and The Ballad of Matt and Mica. Those last songs, which were teased throughout the whole album, absolutely stick the landing. Hearing Mica sing, “Damn man, play that thing. Makes me think of summer winds and faces that I know, just the ones I love to hold” gets me every time. To top it off, she follows that up with “Damn, man, play that thing. Keep on pulling at my strings 'Cause when I see me through your eyes I love me, so don't leave my side”, with a breath-taking string section in the background. It never fails to leave me teary-eyed.

The duo ends the album with The Ballad of Matt and Mica, a song that celebrates love and the not-so-ordinary, mirroring She Looked Like Me! from the opening. Even though it’s the most upbeat song on the album, I love that it still ends the album in uncertainty. While the band celebrates a “Happy Ending,” they acknowledge that no one knows how long they last. Then it circles back to the album’s beginning, where this sci-fi musical odyssey completely clicked with me. Imaginal Disk only got better with every listen. It resonated with a ton of other people as well. There has been nothing but glowing reviews, and it has been their most significant release to date.

Epilogue: So, that was the Magdalena Bay story, so far, and I’m so excited to see how Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewen evolve from here. Since the release of Imaginal Disk, they’ve been touring for the album on the “Imaginal Mystery” tour (they absolutely kill it live!!), they’ve had their first official TV performance on Jimmy Kimmel, put out a cover of David Bowie’s Ashes to Ashes. and they even put out a remix of Image by one of their main musical influences, Grimes. Where they go from here, who knows? For them, though, this is just the Dawning of the Season.

New Record Plus!!!: Ever since I put out the original version of this, Magdalena Bay put out a set of new singles!! In 2025, they put out Nice Day:A Collection of Singles. From September to November that year, they put out four sets of songs, eight in total. All of them ranging from solid to some of their best songs in the discography. The second set of songs, Human Happens and Paint Me A Picture, sound the closest to their usual synth pop. Though, they still stand out and sound really good. In the rest of the tracks, they play with the likes of folk and alt rock. On the alt rock side, there’s Unoriginal and Nice Day, with their sense of irony and edgier feel. On the folk side, there's the more optimistic Black-Eyed Susan Climb and This Is The World(I Made It For You). I like those first two, but I adore those last ones. One of my favorite moments in any of their music is Black-Eyed Susan Climb’s outro. It’s so joyously infectious.

Lastly, there’s the first two singles they put out. Star Eyes is probably the most different thing the band has put out to date. It’s a slow burn that ends with a very romantic sounding section of strings and sax. It feels like something you’d hear in a movie from the 50s or 60s. Saving the best song for last, there’s my favorite of the bunch, Second Sleep. My god, I love this song so much! I wish I could go into every detail of it, but all I can really say is just go listen to it. The MVP of it for me is Mica’s singing. All of her vocal inflections make me melt anytime I hear it. It makes me so excited to see where the band goes. Go check it out, as well as go check out the rest of the band’s discography. I absolutely think they're worth checking out.