Synthpop duo Magdalena Bay’s sophomore album, “Imaginal Disk,” opens with a short burst of mechanical noise, followed quickly by a single word: “Hello,” placidly intoned by vocalist Mica Tenenbaum. It’s an invitation into a fascinating, hypnotic musical world.
The opening track, “She Looked Like Me!” transitions from that greeting into an overwhelming swirl of layered synths overlaid with Tenenbaum’s airy vocal and some distorted percussion. It’s a powerful opening statement that the rest of the record more than lives up to.
Across the album’s 12 tracks, Magdalena Bay creates a bizarre, original and addictive melange of genres ranging from easygoing yacht rock to compressed, high-intensity hyperpop. Each song is sonically distinct, but “Imaginal Disk” feels very cohesive despite its incredible variety.
“That’s My Floor,” one of the album’s best songs, is destined to be an indie club floor-filler. It combines acidic Madchester-style synth leads and smooth bass with fuzzy garage-rock guitar before slipping into something resembling trance on the song’s bridge.
Then, the song seamlessly transitions into the synth-pop ballad “Cry to Me,” which is reminiscent of Caroline Polachek’s fantastic 2023 album “Desire, I Want to Turn Into You.” Despite the sonic distance between “That’s My Floor” and “Cry to Me,” they feel like natural companions due to the record’s continuous mix and the duo’s carefully considered production.
Despite its myriad of influences, “Imaginal Disk” is a strikingly contemporary album. Its lyrics nod to the internet and its capacity to stunt and stimulate human connection. Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin’s lyrics oscillate between lovesick pining and paranoid interrogatives, sometimes in the same song.
The second single, “Image,” grapples with the shifting ways people present themselves before Tenenbaum begins begging her addressee to “make me in your image,” reflecting humans’ ability to change themselves and influence others to change.
Generally, though, the lyrics are not the focus on “Imaginal Disk.” They are often intriguing, sometimes funny and always beautifully delivered, but they’re only a part of a larger whole. The instrumentals are not background music for the lyrics like in some pop music; they exist in conversation with the lyrics.
Tenenbaum and Lewin’s songwriting approach is reminiscent of David Byrne’s on Talking Heads’ “Speaking in Tongues” and “Remain in Light,” where the voice becomes an instrument. Tenenbaum’s crooning, often repetitive vocals add sonic dimension, blending with the band’s synth soundscapes to create a distinctive sound.
The record’s final song, “The Ballad of Matt & Mica,” sums up the album’s excellence. It’s a semi-autobiographical account of a person finding a “happy ending” in a new city — Magdalena Bay found success after moving to Los Angeles. In a satisfying full-circle touch, the song mirrors “She Looked Like Me!,” interpolating part of that track’s vocal melody. “Not ordinary,” Tenenbaum repeats as the album fades out, and she’s absolutely correct: “Imaginal Disk” is extraordinary.
