Lucy Perry
Contributing Writer
On Aug. 23, after several singles, mixes, and demos, the band Magdalena Bay found unexpected success with their second album “Imaginal Disk.” I discovered a new favorite alternative-pop album and a band deserving of the many new fans coming their way. “Imaginal Disk” has already achieved success on the internet, especially on sites like Rate Your Music where it has received 21,000 positive reviews, placing it at #1 of the top albums released in 2024 with a score of 4.06 out of five stars.
Songwriters Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin curate a surreal vibe within “Imaginal Disk,” drawing inspiration from media like the 1977 film “Suspiria” with otherworldly elements. Lewin refers to the film in an interview with Stereogum, explaining, “It’s not going for naturalism or realism. It’s trying to get the most color that they could out of the film in a way that ends up looking hyperreal, which is something we try to accomplish with music in a similar way.”
There is an overwhelming amount of mythology the band has created in one album, straying from the more straightforward concepts in their past music, and leaving room for more to come. The duo has created a storyline around the record, with a narrative following an alien named “True,” whose forehead is injected with a laser disk. The album navigates subjects of identity, love, and fear until True’s body rejects the disk, leaving her disoriented about Earth and whether or not she is human. Lewin describes the decision behind the laser disk in an interview with Vogue, stating that Tenenbaum had gotten the idea while reading that the term “imaginal disc” refers to the life stage in which the caterpillar is completely melted inside the cocoon. Lewin explains, “… these imaginal discs are the instructions with how to rebuild it into the butterfly. So then it became this double entendre with the CD disk concept that we had for the cover, and this symbol of metamorphosis.” This metamorphosis is expressed in a sharp contrast between the powerful synth and keyboards used, and the confused, panicked emotions expressed by Tenenbaum, who portrays the alien on the album cover and in the music videos.
Although many of the songs like “That’s My Floor” and “Death & Romance” have an optimistic sound, the lyrics show pure paranoia and isolation. This is established right off the bat in the first track, “She Looked Like Me!” with lyrics like “She looked like me / We stood mirrored ‘till I leaned in … She shot at me like an / earthbound bullet.” With this lyricism, True is experiencing an identity crisis, dissociating as she navigates the song. Lewins does this through a fusion of synth-pop and space rock.
I firmly believe the song “Vampire in the Corner” is a masterpiece. Not once does Tenenbaum’s voice fall flat, the music stall, or my interest decline. In this song, True describes her fear of coming off too strong, comparing herself to a hiding vampire to avoid scaring others away. She continues expressing her desire to be loved in a roller coaster of emotions as she again second-guesses herself and instead returns to the “corner.” The song reaches a climax with True seemingly letting go of self-doubt as she proclaims “I wanna make you mine / Told you a thousand times / I’m your valentine …” Three minutes and 22 seconds is not enough — Magdalena Bay needs to write more of this addictive sound.
“Imaginal Disk” ends with True reflecting internally. Although she never quite reaches clarity about her place in the world, she concludes that she is “not ordinary,” as mirrored by this extra-ordinary album.
With Tenenbaum’s insane vocals, Lewin’s unique beats, and their dark fantasy vibe, the band has created sounds in this never-seen-before combination of sci-fi and storytelling in the pop genre. Magdalena Bay most definitely deserves all its newfound success.