Imaginal Disk

Magdalena Bay are a pop duo who whip up a crafty mix of left-field psych-pop quirkiness and early-2000s stylistic hooks. After rising out of Los Angeles at the tail-end of the 2010s with buzz-worthy tracks like "Neon" and "Killshot," they issued a pair of well-received EPs which paved the way for their 2021 debut full-length, Mercurial World. The record performed well enough to warrant a deluxe version, bolstered by the 2022 single "All You Do." In 2024, they delivered their equally dancey and psychedelic sophomore album, Imaginal Disk.

Mica Tenenbaum and Matt Lewin first met through an after-school music program in Miami where they both grew up. Bonding over a variety of mutual influences, most notably progressive rock, the two formed a Genesis- and King Crimson-inspired prog band while still in their teens. Reconnecting during their college years, Tenenbaum and Lewin shifted gears and began writing pop music, taking cues from cutting-edge producers like Charli XCX and Grimes while nodding to early-2000s pop stars like Gwen Stefani and Britney Spears.

Magdalena Bay debuted in 2017 with the woozy, chilled-out "Neon" and spent the next two years honing their sound with a succession of singles and short EPs leading up to the 2019 release of Mini Mix, Vol. 1 on Luminelle Recordings. Rhythmic, slick, and subtly suggestive, they paired their music with an increasingly retro aesthetic that involved VHS video and an intentionally primitive millennial website. After 2020's A Little Rhythm and a Wicked Feeling, which yielded highlights like the slinky "Killshot" and the bubblegum "How to Get Physical," they finally delivered their first full-length album in 2021's Mercurial World. The album made it to number 18 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart and in September 2022 was expanded into a lengthy 28-truck deluxe edition that featured the shimmering single "All You Do."

In May 2024, the duo returned with the anthemic, piano-driven single "Death & Romance" as the first song released off their sophomore full-length, Imaginal Disk. Released that August, the album found them again blending swirling, psychedelic production with a hooky dance and pop vibe. ~ Timothy Monger