Imaginal Disk
| Imaginal Disk | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 23, 2024 | |||
| Studio | Mag Bay HQ | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 53:36 | |||
| Label | Mom + Pop | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Magdalena Bay chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Imaginal Disk | ||||
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Imaginal Disk is the second studio album by American duo Magdalena Bay, released on August 23, 2024, through Mom + Pop Music. It received universal acclaim from critics.
Background
[edit]Imaginal Disk is the second album of Magdalena Bay, a Los Angeles-based duo of vocalist and songwriter Mica Tenenbaum and producer and songwriter Matthew Lewin originating from Miami. The band released their debut, Mercurial World, in October 2021, and an extended play, Mini Mix, Vol. 3, in April 2023.[5] On 7 June 2023, Mom + Pop Music announced that the band would be signed to the label, with Magdalena Bay stating "we're so excited for what the future holds! The next stage, the next phase is here."[6]
Music and lyrics
[edit]Style and influences
[edit]Imaginal Disk has been identified by reviewers as drawing stylistically from a wide range of genres,[7][3] including pop music,[4] dance-pop,[3] psychedelia,[3][2] disco,[7] synth-pop,[7][2] shoegaze,[7] new age,[3] and progressive rock.[7]
Concept
[edit]Described by the band and some reviewers as a "loose concept album",[8][4] the lyrics of Imaginal Disk establish a narrative revolving around True, a character represented by Tenenbaum in the album's music videos. True is implanted with a Imaginal Disk, an object shaped like a compact disc, into her forehead to transform into her ideal self. When True's body rejects the Disk, she undertakes a journey to understand "what it means to be human".[8][4] The band stated that the narrative for the album was developed after the writing of the music, with the narrative provided as a "layer of meaning on top of the record" and enmeshed in the visual design of the album and videos.[8]
Title
[edit]Imaginal Disk shares its name with imaginal discs, structures within the bodies of insect larvae that emerge to form parts of their adult bodies.[2][8] The title was inspired by Tenenbaum's reading into metamorphosis and her interest in the relationship between these genetic processes and "ideas of self" as they applied to human nature. Lewin stated the album title acted as a "double entendre" to connect the album cover's concept of "inserting a disk into someone’s forehead" with these themes of "consciousness, memory (and) awareness".[8]
Release and promotion
[edit]The first single from Imaginal Disk was announced on 28 May 2024 with release of the lead single, "Death and Romance", also the first release for the band on label Mom + Pop.[9][10] On 18 June, the release was supported by a music video directed by Amanda Kramer, extended to contain the song "Fear, Sex".[11] Imaginal Disk was announced on 10 July, accompanied by second single "Image" and a video also directed by Kramer,[12][13][14] followed by a third single, "Tunnel Vision", on 31 July.[15]
An "Imaginal Mystery Tour", announced on 28 May 2024 was also held in promotion of the album in the United States and Europe over September to October 2024.[9][10] The tour was extended to additional shows in Australia in March 2025.[16] Magdalena Bay made their late-night television debut performing "Image" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 30 October.[17][18]
Critical reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 85/100[19] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 9/10[2] |
| NME | [1] |
| Paste | 8.2[7] |
| Pitchfork | 7.7/10[4] |
| Slant Magazine | [20] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3/5[21] |
| Under the Radar |   [22] |
Imaginal Disk received acclaim, according to review aggregator Metacritic,[19] receiving positive reviews from Allmusic,[3] NME,[1] Paste,[7] Slant Magazine,[20], and Under the Radar.[22]
Nick Seip of Slant Magazine wrote that the album "finds [Magdalena Bay] at their most radical" and "offers a confluence of ideas that allows for strange detours through a sonic hall of mirrors".[20] Matthew Kim of The Line of Best Fit described it as "the product of a band intensely honing what they want to sound like and ending up with a style so unique that it's barely possible to describe. It's dorky and strange and dramatic, like the duo themselves."[2]
NME's Otis Robinson found it to be "kaleidoscopic and overproduced in all the right ways" and "soundtracked by the same anachronistic, trippy synth-pop of its predecessor but grounded by the busk-y tambourine and analogue percussion of indie-pop".[1] Caleb Campbell of Under the Radar stated that "if the duo's previous record showed off their mastery of pop songcraft, Magdalena Bay feel more interested in exploring new textures and emotional range on Imaginal Disk".[22] Sputnikmusic commended the album's "craft and attention to detail", but considered the album to lack depth due to its "over-stimulated (and) disoriented" premise and cursory treatment of its themes about "technology, disassociation, intimacy and self-orientation in a world of distance".[21]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She Looked Like Me!" | 3:13 |
| 2. | "Killing Time" | 3:53 |
| 3. | "True Blue Interlude" | 1:49 |
| 4. | "Image" | 3:32 |
| 5. | "Death & Romance" | 5:14 |
| 6. | "Fear, Sex" | 2:32 |
| 7. | "Vampire in the Corner" | 3:22 |
| 8. | "Watching T.V." | 4:05 |
| 9. | "Tunnel Vision" | 5:05 |
| 10. | "Love Is Everywhere" | 3:14 |
| 11. | "Feeling Diskinserted?" | 0:58 |
| 12. | "That's My Floor" | 3:42 |
| 13. | "Cry for Me" | 5:07 |
| 14. | "Angel on a Satellite" | 4:03 |
| 15. | "The Ballad of Matt & Mica" | 4:00 |
| Total length: | 53:36 | |
Personnel
[edit]Magdalena Bay
- Mica Tenenbaum – production, vocals
- Matthew Lewin – production, string arrangements, brass arrangements, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Nick Villa – drums
- Erik Arvinder – orchestra conductor
- Anna Roos Stefansson – violin
- Brusk Zanganeh – violin
- Daniel Migdal – violin
- Daniela Bonfiglioli – violin
- Fredrik Syberg – violin
- Martin Stensson – violin
- Oscar Treitler – violin
- Sofie Sunnerstam – violin
- Tove Lund – violin
- Veronika Novotna – violin
- Vicky Sayles – violin
- Erik Holm – viola
- Mathilda Brunstrøm – viola
- Riikka Repo – viola
- Vidar Andersson – viola
- Daniel Thorell – cello
- Filip Lundberg – cello
- Pelle Hansen – cello
- Walter McTigert – double bass
- Martin Lood – trumpet
- Johan Wahlgren – French horn
- Chris Parkes – French horn
- Håkan Björkman – trombone
- Mikael Oskarsson – trombone
- Jon Fridmann – additional trumpet (track 1)
Technical
- Justin Raisen – additional production (track 10)
- Emily Lazar – mastering
- Dave Fridmann – mixing
- Willem Bleeker – orchestra engineering
- Erik Arvinder – orchestra engineering
- Pat Jones – drum engineering (tracks 2, 5, 12, 13)
- Jon Fridmann – mixing assistance
- Oliver Hill – string arrangements, brass arrangements
Visuals
- Maria Shalatova – exterior art
- Zhe Con – interior art
- Remi Volcair – layout design
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[23] | 33 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Robinson, Otis (August 21, 2024). "Magdalena Bay – Mercurial World review: a time capsule of post-internet existentialism". NME. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Kim, Matthew (August 22, 2024). "Magdalena Bay: Imaginal Disk Review – creative pop". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Collar, Matt. "Imaginal Disk – Magdalena Bay". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Gaca, Anna (August 22, 2024). "Magdalena Bay: Imaginal Disk Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ "Magdalena Bay Makes Late Night T.V. Debut On "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" With "Image"". Sacks And Co. October 31, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ "Mom+Pop Music Welcomes Magdalena Bay". Mom + Pop Music. June 7, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bennett, Eric (August 23, 2024). "Magdalena Bay Stretch Out on Imaginal Disk". Paste. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Hess, Liam (August 22, 2024). "'It's About the Big Questions': Magdalena Bay's Brilliant New Album Is Where Pop Meets Prog-Rock". Vogue. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Redfern, Mark (May 28, 2024). "Magdalena Bay Share New Song "Death & Romance" and Announce The Imaginal Mystery Tour". Under the Radar. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Corcoran, Nina (May 28, 2024). "Magdalena Bay Announce Tour, Share New Song "Death & Romance": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Redfern, Mark (June 18, 2024). "Magdalena Bay Share Sci-Fi Themed Video for "Death & Romance"". Under the Radar. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Monroe, Jazz (July 10, 2024). "Magdalena Bay Announce New Album Imaginal Disk, Share Song and Video: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ "Magdalena Bay Announce New Album, Share Video for New Song "Image"". Under the Radar. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Blistein, Jon (July 10, 2024). "Magdalena Bay Want You to Imagine a Brand New You on 'Image'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Redfern, Mark (July 31, 2024). "Magdalena Bay Share New Song "Tunnel Vision"". Under the Radar. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Fry, Courtney (November 15, 2024). "Magdalena Bay lock in dazzling debut headline tour". ABC. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ Redfern, Mark (October 31, 2024). "Watch Magdalena Bay Make Their Late Night TV Debut Performing "Image" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"". Under the Radar. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (October 31, 2024). "Watch Magdalena Bay Make Their Ultra-Trippy TV Debut, Performing "Image" On Kimmel". Stereogum. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ a b "Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
- ^ a b c Seip, Nick (August 19, 2024). "Magdalena Bay Imaginal Disk Review: Everything Everywhere All at Once". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Staff (August 29, 2024). "Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c Campbell, Caleb (August 22, 2024). "Magdalena Bay: Imaginal Disk". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
