Written By Dante Estrada
While the year is heavy with several artists making their big emergence, Magdalena Bay rises to the top as a band that is worth looking out for. As they finished off their U.S. run of the Imaginal Mystery tour in October, their thrilling sounds from their September 27th performance are one to remember.
Continuing off the second leg of their tour, Magdalena Bay made their big return to Los Angeles at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery from Sept. 26 to 27.
Oxis, an electronic musician, kicked the show off. . As a solo act, Oxis used their equipment to create looped tracks and instrumentals on stage before entering a song. Fish and marine life were a big theme of this set, as every song was titled after a marine animal or related to it. Oxis turned out to be a solid welcome to the largely anticipated arrival of Magdalena Bay on stage.
As the clock hit 8 PM., fluorescent lights hit the stage to illuminate the ominously crafted set on stage. In full flight of Imaginal Disk’s release, the setlist started with the first four songs from the album, “She Looked Like Me!”, “Killing Time,” “True Blue Interlude” and “Image.” The first three, though quiet, set the mood for what would be a thrilling rest of the night. As “Image” moved to everyone’s ears, it was full of even more energy and got the crowd jumping on the cold grass of the venue.
Magdalena Bay, a band that consists of their synth-pop roots, embraced their identity visually on the stage and in their physical appearance. Throughout their performance, they drew heavy Lynchian and Talking Heads inspiration. Members Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin dressed creepily as red figures and wore demon masks at different times during their set. Similarly, their visuals for their music videos are already well-established as being surreal, they tap into that fully through wearing sunflowers on their head and being eerie on the stage.
Their top hits, “Love Is Everywhere,” “Vampire in the Corner,” “Death & Romance” and many more brought the crowd to loud sounds of joy as they sang along and danced to the breathtaking rhythm.
Their top hits, “Love Is Everywhere,” “Vampire in the Corner,” “Death & Romance” and many more brought the crowd to loud sounds of joy as they sang along and danced to the breathtaking rhythm.
Among these many captivating performances from their newest record and other hits from their discography, their biggest takeaway has to lie in “Cry for Me.” If you ever had to wonder how people felt when they first heard synth-pop and new wave legends like New Order, Duran Duran and Depeche Mode in a live performance, this performance of the already immaculate track was outstandingly brought to life. The combination of Tenenbaum’s unique vocal sound with the glittery instrumental sounds is an experience that can only truly be enjoyed in a live setting.
On this last day in LA, the band felt gracious enough to perform “Killjoy” in both its original and slowed reverb versions during their encore. A song that fans felt had been missing from the tour’s setlist. The track was well-performed from its brilliant, catchy rhythm, and smooth transition into its second version of the new slowed and reverb version.
Magdalena Bay closed off the show with “Second Sleep” and “The Beginning,” both being underrated tracks from their discography, which felt fitting for the end of the night.
In “The Beginning,” Tenenbaum repeated the lyrics, “Sit back and enjoy the show,” which can be echoed throughout the entirety of their memorable performance of a band that keeps producing tracks that should rank among the best of many other active artists.