On Tuesday, Sept. 23, Magdalena Bay put on a powerful performance at Arizona Financial Theater as part of their “Imaginal Mystery” tour. The synth-pop group consists of Matthew Lewin and Mica Tenenbaum, who have been collaborators since high school.
This marks the 3rd night of their fall shows in North America, with many of the dates already sold out. A prior leg in the Spring of this year also performed well, nearly selling out completely.
Released in Aug. 2024, “Imaginal Disk” marks the duo’s second studio album, building on their history of infectious melodies and ethereal instrumentals, including previous album “Mercurial World,” EP “A Little Rhythm and a Wicked Feeling” and mixtape projects “Mini Mix Vol. 1-3.”
In addition, they released tracks “Second Sleep” and “Star Eyes” this week, accompanied by a music video.
“Imaginal Disk” further cements the idea that Magdalena Bay continues to maintain serious potential in terms of must-see creativity and ambitions, and importantly, on-stage performance.
Beginning with fiery album openers “She Looked Like Me!” and “Killing Time,” it was impossible to ignore the roars from the crowd as Magdalena Bay arrived on the stage.
Following with “True Blue Interlude” and single “Image,” the band kept the energy alive as the room shouted every word.
On a stage filled with makeshift clouds, a contemplative window, and a screen disguised as an eye with angel wings, the audience was always on their toes as the duo sang through their show, bringing back popular tracks “Secrets (Your Fire),” “Top Dog” and “Killshot.”
A special moment during the show was their performance of “You Lose!” an upbeat song that seems to blend shoegaze and synth-pop together. They even made a callback to their music video, where they go around L.A. looking for their “dog” Fluffy, who slightly resembles Gengar from Pokémon.
“Imaginal Mystery” featured stunning outfit changes, such as Mica’s sunflower headband during “Vampire in the Corner,” Matt’s red starfish mask he wears while transforming Mica into her disk-inserted self, and a crowned red dress Mica changes into for the climax of “Cry for Me.”
For the encore, the band decided to include their slowed version of “Killshot” before bringing it to its normal tempo for the climax, followed by the introduction of new song “Second Sleep.”
Wrapping up the dreamy show, the duo played upbeat piano-heavy “The Beginning” as the audience screamed the final words with them: “So if you feel low / sit back, enjoy the show / Like a kaleidoscope / in technicolor tonight!”
Starting from their Y2K internet inspired roots, Magdalena Bay has evolved and secured their place as one of the most important groups of the modern indie-pop era.
To follow their journey, be sure to check out their website, Instagram and music videos.