Magdalena Bay release new single 'Tunnel Vision' from upcoming album 'Imaginal Disk'
Image: Lissyelle Laricchia
Published: 1 August 2024
Magdalena Bay, the US synthpop duo headed up by lead singer, songwriter and producer Mica Tenenbaum alongside writer and producer Matthew Lewin have just released the new single ’Tunnel Vision’, the latest track from their upcoming second album Imaginal Disk, due for release on 23 August.
‘Tunnel Vision’ is a delicious synthpop track that thrillingly changes tempo and direction throughout the song. A gentle, swaying mood with piano breaks down into discordant synth noises before veering into a heavier, drum and electric guitar soundscape. In a world of 2 minute TikTok singles, it is also a joy to immerse in the five minute running length.
The distorted, always changing sonics reflect the lyrics which speak of falling back into a spiral of self-doubt and anxiety after briefly pulling yourself out of a dark place. ‘I forget, with love as my witness, I can stand on my feet / I fall back / Then I see tunnel vision / Closing in over me,’ Tenenbaum sings. Of the song, the band say “artificial intelligence won't approximate humanity until it learns how to hate itself”
‘Tunnel Vision’ follows ‘Image’ and ‘Death & Romance’ as the first three samples of Magdalena Bay’s second album Imaginal Disk. Released on 23 August, it is their first album since their 2021, critically acclaimed debut Mercurial World. Magdalena Bay have built a whole universe around this album, which follows the story of True - played by Tenenbaum - as she learns what it means to be human after receiving a consciousness upgrade in the form of an ‘imaginal disk’ inserted into her forehead.
After first meeting at an after-school music program in their hometown of Miami, Tenenbaum and Lewin formed a prog rock band Tabula Rasa. The band broke up, but after the pair met up again in college, they reconnected and decided to form a band again, but this time with the goal to create pop music that blends retro and futuristic elements. Now based in Los Angeles, their success has been growing exponentially, with their first headline tour selling out, performing at Coachella, and touring with artists such as Charli XCX, Caroline Polachek and Flume.
With music that is filled with nostalgia and memories of your favourite music from years past, but also of a foreign, yet exciting future sound, Magdalena Bay fulfil their brief effortlessly. Their album will challenge you and fire you up with joy and they reinvent synthpop for a new generation.
‘Tunnel Vision’ is out now via Mom+Pop Music. You can buy and stream here.
Imaginal Disk will be released on 23 August via Mom+Pop Music. You can pre-order and pre-save now.
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