Not since Caroline Polachek’s February 2023 masterpiece “Desire, I Want to Turn Into You” has a pop album impressed me so thoroughly – pop duo Magdalena Bay’s late-August release “Imaginal Disk” reaches the same technical heights and accessible, ear-catching songwriting as the former.
Still, on first listen, “Imaginal Disk” can feel a bit overwhelming. There’s a lot crammed into its 15-song runtime. From the ‘80s piano of “Death & Romance” to the mosquito-y synth of “Vampire in the Corner” and the gritty, sci-fi bursts that interrupt closer “The Ballad of Matt & Mica,” “Imaginal Disk” can feel like a master musician was given the challenge to create an album using every Logic keyboard preset. It’s a lot to take in.
But once the shock of the initial listen wears off, the pacing of “Imaginal Disk” starts to shine. After an intense opening run of tracks, the back-to-back “Vampire in the Corner” and “Watching T.V.” provide some slower, comparatively downtempo songs that still build beautifully thanks to the duo’s fuzzy, D.I.Y. production and vocalist Mica Tenenbaum’s ability to make final choruses massive by jumping the octave. The album slows down again for penultimate track “Angel on a Satellite,” a beautiful cut with piano flourishes and a gorgeous string section, before plunging into the optimistic, rowdy closer.
It’s also an impressively cohesive listen. Opener “She Looked Like Me!” serves as a sonic introduction for what’s to follow, incorporating the vocal melody of the closing track as well as the cleverly-titled interlude “Feeling DiskInserted?” – which features the same three-note opening motif as the album’s other interlude, “True Blue,” just transposed up. To mention Polachek’s “Desire” again, the in-album references throughout the project show the care and attention to detail Tenenbaum and bandmate Matthew Lewin put into “Imaginal Disk.” Plus, nearly every song flows perfectly into the next, another nice touch by the duo.
There’s plenty of versatility on display as well: Tenenbaum’s vocal fry and half-yells on the opener, the breathy trance of “Image,” and the upbeat, freakishly catchy “Death & Romance,” which also features the best chorus ride cymbal you’ll hear all year. And that’s just three of the first five tracks. Elsewhere, you’ll find the fuzzed-out dance-punk of “That’s My Floor” followed immediately by “Cry for Me,” which emulates The Weeknd’s Daft Punk phase with its dark, spacey atmosphere and angular melody. “Tunnel Vision” starts with a KNOWER-esque jazzy, electronic feel before diving into a gritty outro carried by a revving bassline and driving beat.
But if there’s an undercurrent to the whole project, it’s the inherent danceability that Tenenbaum and Lewin bring into everything they touch. “Killing Time” might be the most obvious, with a modern, psychedelic twist on disco and funk that might remind listeners of Lil Yachty’s 2023 left-turn “Let’s Start Here.” Funny enough, the instrumental of “Love is Everywhere” is the same as Yachty’s “running out of time” – Magdalena Bay allowed the experimental rapper to use the track a year before the duo would release their own version. But Lewin’s signature, bouncy bass playing can still be found grooving underneath most of the swirling synth layers of “Imaginal Disk.”
As good as some of Mag Bay’s past work is (2021’s “Secrets (Your Fire)” still might be the best pure pop song they’ve ever made), their latest effort feels like the logical next step for the band’s futuristic indie sound. It’s bigger, bolder, and more emotionally complex. Despite the synth-pop sound, there’s a darkness to the album’s concept and the unsettling cover art – but “Imaginal Disk” is a good time from start to finish.
Album: Imaginal Disk
Artist: Magdalena Bay
Overall Rating: ★★★★★
