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The Internet is jamming to indie pop duo Magdalena Bay's second studio album, Imaginal Disk, that dropped in August 2024. With its charming synth-pop beats, the project is currently trending on TikTok, with fans dubbing the changing season as "Imaginal Disk Fall."
The phrase references Charli XCX's Brat, which dropped earlier this year. The project was met with acclaim by both critics and audiences, prompting many online to christen the season as "Brat Summer."
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Magdalena Bay is comprised of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin, who write and produce tracks together. They rose to fame after releasing their debut studio album, Mercural World, in 2021, with several critics listing them in their lists of top albums, including those by Pitchfork and Rolling Stone.
"It’s like the Romantic era of music. It’s more melodrama; it’s more dark"- Matthew Lewin about Imaginal Disk
Per the Luminelle Recordings website, Mica and Matt first met at an after-school music program in their hometown of Miami, Florida. They started their progressive rock band, Tabula Rasa, together that lasted till they moved to college. They later reconnected, forming Mag Bay in 2016.
In addition to their oddball humor seen across their TikToks and Twitch, the duo are known to create DIY, often surrealistic, music videos accompanying their tracks and posts.
Talking to Spin about Imaginal Disk, the pair explained, the album is not particularly romantic as compared to Mercurial World. Matt added:
"I think it’s more romantic in the historical sense of the word, where it’s like the Romantic era of music. It’s more melodrama; it’s more dark. I think it evokes those Romantic aesthetics."
Mica described the project as an exploration of "self" which also leads to "understanding what is inside." She added:
"What is it? Can I know it? Can I understand it? And all the questions that come from that question. It leads to endless questions and then more questions, and then that kind of inspires the lyrics."
The name itself comes from the term imaginal disc, which is a part of a larva that evolves into an insect post-metamorphosis.
The album follows the character True, who gets a disk inserted into her head (as seen on the cover art), creating a new parallel being. The narrative is further explored across the various tracks, echoing the theme of self.
Matthew Kim from The Line of Best Fit, in his review described Imaginal Disk as:
"If I had to describe this album’s ethos, perhaps it wouldn’t be that far from the truth: it’s a prog-rock band making pop music and refusing to compromise on the best qualities of either."
The album was preceded by singles Death & Romance (May 28), Image (July 10), Tunnel Vision (July 31), and That's My Floor (August 21). Along with the release of Death & Romance, Mag Bay also announced their Imaginal Mystery Tour, which kicked off at The Fillmore in San Francisco on September 3. It will run through September, concluding at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on October 2.
Imaginal Disk is currently available to purchase on the band's official website as well as stream online.
