Miles Davis once said, “Music is the strongest form of magic.” I read that quote a couple of years ago, and it has stuck with me. Music is a kind of magic in the way that it can connect to people and affect them deeply. As a music lover, I am always looking for a new band or artist that can capture that magic for me. This exact thing happened in 2023. I was aimlessly scrolling on TikTok when I heard a song that I was immediately drawn to. That song was “Secrets (Your Fire)” by Magdalena Bay, and it was love at first listen. The unique voice of the singer and the fun beat got me addicted for weeks. After I had played it too many times to count, I thought I should look into their other songs. From there, I was hooked, and over the past two years, Magdalena Bay has become one of my favorite bands. Since we are about to hit a decade since the band was formed, I thought this would be a great time to write all about them.
Who Is MagdAlena Bay?
Magdalena Bay is a band created by duo Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin. Tenenbaum sings lead vocals, as well as playing bass and keytar. Lewin does background vocals and plays the rest of the instruments, including keyboard and guitar. Tenenbaum and Lewin write and produce all their music together. While on tour, they were also playing with drummer Nick Villa and keytarist Myles Sweeny. The name Magdalena Bay is surprisingly not based on the lagoon in Mexico of the same name. Instead, the band was named after a former coworker of Lewin’s named Maggie Bay.
Tenenbaum and Lewin met in 2011 in Miami. The two went to separate high schools, but met through a music program for teens. There, they bonded over their love of alternative music. In an interview with Pitchfork, Tenenbaum said that she and Lewin would listen to Fiona Apple on repeat in high school, and has also named Apple as her biggest songwriting influence. Along with a few other friends, the duo started a progressive rock band called Tabula Rasa. Tabula Rasa put out a few songs, including “Postscripts” and “No One Else”, but eventually disbanded. A few years later, on a break from college in 2016, Tenenbaum and Lewin created Magdalena Bay. They made music virtually for the rest of college, and after graduation, they moved to Los Angeles to continue making music in person.
The Music
Over the past ten years, Magdalena Bay has put out two EPs, three mini mixes, one short album, and two full-length albums. Their first big hit came in 2021 with the song “Killshot”, from the album A Little Rhythm and a Wicked Feeling. You’ve probably heard the “slowed down + re-verbed” version of “Killshot”, since it became incredibly popular on TikTok. There are thousands of edits with the song in the background. The original version of “Killshot” has 145 million listens, while the “slowed + re-verbed” version has 130 million. This makes “Killshot” the most popular Magdalena Bay song by far. The second few Magdalena Bay songs to get hugely popular were “Secrets (Your Fire)” and “You Lose!”. These are both from Magdalena Bay’s first full-length album, Mercurial World, which came out in 2021. “Secrets (Your Fire)” has 17 million listens, and “You Lose!” has 13 million. Mercurial World itself has become a favorite for many fans. The album has millions of listens and has received high praise from music critics, including an 8.0 rating from Pitchfork.
In May of 2024, Magdalena Bay released the first single for their most recent album, Imaginal Disk. The single was called “Death and Romance,” and is a lengthy synth-pop ballad. “Death and Romance” did get some attention, but it was pretty minimal compared to the reaction to the next single. “Image,” a disco-inspired pop hit, was released in July of 2024 as the second single for Imaginal Disk. It quickly gained popularity on TikTok and other platforms and is now at 49 million listens. The album Imaginal Disk came out in August of 2024. According to Tenenbaum and Lewin, it is a concept album about a fictional character, True, who has a disc inserted into her head to become the ideal version of herself. True’s body rejects this disc, which leads her to go on a journey of self-discovery. Tenenbaum and Lewin aren’t afraid to get a little weird with their music, and it really works. The album got immediate praise from music critics and casual music lovers alike. Personally, I can’t stop listening to Imaginal Disk. It has been on repeat since it came out, even more than a year later. My favorite songs are “Vampire in the Corner,” “Cry for Me,” “Watching T.V.,” and “Killing Time.” Every song on the album is fantastic, though. There are absolutely no skips.
My Concert Experience
I was lucky enough to be able to attend a Magdalena Bay concert this past October. My boyfriend and I had gotten tickets in April, so I spent six months leading up to the show just getting excited. On the day of the concert, we drove to Boston right after classes ended. We showed up to MGM Fenway at around 6:30 p.m. and the doors opened at 7:00 p.m. By 8:00 p.m, the venue was full and the crowd was getting excited. The opener, a singer-songwriter called Oxis, came out a little after 8:00 p.m. She played a couple of her own songs, as well as a cover of Kids by MGMT. She also brought out Magdaelna Bay’s drummer, Nick Villas, and played a few songs with him.
Finally, at 9:00 p.m, Magdalena Bay got on stage. The energy in the crowd immediately skyrocketed. Everyone around us started cheering, and the energy kept going once the music started playing. The band opened the concert by playing “She Looked Like Me!”, the first song on “Imaginal Disk”. Throughout the concert, they played the entirety of the “Imaginal Disk” album in order, and included songs from other albums and EPs in between. This was great because it meant that everyone in the audience, whether they came for this album or another, was getting to listen to music they loved. The concert was fantastic. The band’s stage presence was incredible, and it really got the crowd excited. Listening to live music is always a rush, and this was no exception. That hour and a half flew by, and I wish I could go back and experience it again.
Why I Love Magdalena Bay!
What is there not to love? Magdalena Bay’s music combines pop, alternative, rock, electronic, and synth. The fact that they can combine all these genres and still make the music so cohesive amazes me. The production is expansive, and the lyrics are clever and interesting. Tenenbaum’s captivating vocals are also a huge draw. Over the past decade, Magdalena Bay has grown so much as a band. I can’t wait to see how much they grow over the next decade. I’ll leave you with a few song suggestions: “Hideaway,” “Vampire in the Corner,” and “Top Dog.” I hope you enjoy as much as I do!