The world is not always what it seems. In True’s case, the main character of Magdalena Bay’s latest album, Imaginal Disk, she is taken on a journey through the evolution of humanity and learns just how much of it was influenced by extraordinary life. The duo’s new LP, out today, is not only a retelling of True’s history but also a journey through her world. It is a mystical universe that needs to be experienced firsthand in order to truly understand her, and the world she lives in.
Miami-based duo Magdalena Bay, made up of singer and songwriter Mica Tennebaum and producer and songwriter Matthew Lewin, are releasing Imaginal Disk just today. The pair met in high school and started out as a cover band that would perform to their fellow classmates. Over the years, they started to create their own music, find their voice, and founded Magdalena Bay together. Through it, they’ve weaved together a balance between an interesting and thought-provoking narrative with their fantastic and engrossing music.
To begin, can you talk about your first experiences meeting each other, at that after school music program in Miami, and how exactly you bumped into each other again while you were both at college?
Mica: Yes. My first time meeting Matt, we were at this after-school music thing. At first I was placed in another band, and they would do covers mainly but it wasn’t vibing with them; they weren’t playing the music I wanted to play. So they switched me to a new band whose singer would never show up. I walked into the room and I saw Matt, Nick, and the bassist of our band, Myanna. I thought, these are some cool guys! That was our first time meeting, right?
Matthew: Yeah.
Mica: Oh, wait, no, that’s not the first time.
Matthew: Well, we had met earlier in sort of the same thing, except you weren’t part of it yet.
Mica: Before I joined the band, I saw Matthew at this show we did as part of the music program. It was my first time singing live and I did Crazy Train. I was shaking the whole time! Matt went up with his band that I would like later join.
Matthew: It was the same drummer and same bassist.
Mica: Yeah. He was shredding guitar and I went up to him after the show and told him, that was really awesome.
Matthew: …and?
Mica: And what?
Matthew: You asked me to sign something.
Mica: Oh, yes! I was just joking. It was a friend and I was like, that was awesome, can you sign this?
Matthew: Then, a year later or something, you ended up joining the other band. We played covers for a bit. But then we started writing originals, meeting outside of the after school program, and became a real band.
Mica: Yeah, in college.
Matthew: We stayed with that band for a little bit working long distance and finishing up a record. But after that it fell apart because we were all split up across the country. We didn't make music for a year or so. We thought we should get the band back together during the winter break and try to write some more music but that never materialised. We ended up deciding we should do our own thing, just the two of us, and start a different project. That’s how Magdalena Bay was formed in 2016. I was in college in Boston and Mica was in Philadelphia. We started making music long distance. When we graduated, we met up in LA.
Mica: And that’s the story.
Matthew: Yeah.
Mica: Oh, wait, no, that’s not the first time.
Matthew: Well, we had met earlier in sort of the same thing, except you weren’t part of it yet.
Mica: Before I joined the band, I saw Matthew at this show we did as part of the music program. It was my first time singing live and I did Crazy Train. I was shaking the whole time! Matt went up with his band that I would like later join.
Matthew: It was the same drummer and same bassist.
Mica: Yeah. He was shredding guitar and I went up to him after the show and told him, that was really awesome.
Matthew: …and?
Mica: And what?
Matthew: You asked me to sign something.
Mica: Oh, yes! I was just joking. It was a friend and I was like, that was awesome, can you sign this?
Matthew: Then, a year later or something, you ended up joining the other band. We played covers for a bit. But then we started writing originals, meeting outside of the after school program, and became a real band.
Mica: Yeah, in college.
Matthew: We stayed with that band for a little bit working long distance and finishing up a record. But after that it fell apart because we were all split up across the country. We didn't make music for a year or so. We thought we should get the band back together during the winter break and try to write some more music but that never materialised. We ended up deciding we should do our own thing, just the two of us, and start a different project. That’s how Magdalena Bay was formed in 2016. I was in college in Boston and Mica was in Philadelphia. We started making music long distance. When we graduated, we met up in LA.
Mica: And that’s the story.
Could you share some musical influences that you both listened to at that time? Either during high school or college.
Matthew: The only thing I listened to in high school was prog rock from the 70s. I sort of roped the rest of the band into making vaguely prog music too, so that’s what we did. And I got Mica into it a little bit as well, but we had other shared musical tastes outside of that. We were both really into Radiohead and Fiona Apple.
Mica: We liked Steve Vincent too at the time. We really didn't like any other contemporary music or anything. But before I got into the prog, I did like indie. I liked MGMT, the Shams, and others.
Matthew: I didn’t. I was too…
Mica: Pretentious?
Matthew: Pretentious for that.
Mica: Then I became as well.
Mica: We liked Steve Vincent too at the time. We really didn't like any other contemporary music or anything. But before I got into the prog, I did like indie. I liked MGMT, the Shams, and others.
Matthew: I didn’t. I was too…
Mica: Pretentious?
Matthew: Pretentious for that.
Mica: Then I became as well.
You released your first album, Mercurial World, in 2021 to massive critical acclaim. Can you tell us what your reactions were to seeing your band in media outlets like The New York Times and Rolling Stone?
Matthew: It was cool. We had been putting out music for a long time before that, and it was gratifying because Mercurial World was our first concerted effort to make a unified body of work. The previous projects were more in the spirit of: we have a bunch of songs, let’s put them together.
Mica: They were basically singles. At least our EP, not the main mixes. Mercurial World was our first real album project, so that was cool.
Matthew: Yes, because you never know if people like the music or care about it. Coming from a 70s prog rock background, I felt like no one listened to albums anymore. I saw them as a lost format. But that wasn’t true.
Mica: They were basically singles. At least our EP, not the main mixes. Mercurial World was our first real album project, so that was cool.
Matthew: Yes, because you never know if people like the music or care about it. Coming from a 70s prog rock background, I felt like no one listened to albums anymore. I saw them as a lost format. But that wasn’t true.
What was it like playing at Coachella? It’s one of the most famous music festivals in the country!
Mica: It was very cool. We were very nervous.
Matthew: At the time you don't think, oh, this is sick, we're playing Coachella!
Mica: At least we didn’t. We thought, oh fuck, this is really, really good.
Matthew: There are a lot of technical things that we're worried about to make sure that everything goes smoothly. We have production and design stuff. So we were stressed out and sort of happy it was over. But in hindsight, it sounds cool.
Matthew: At the time you don't think, oh, this is sick, we're playing Coachella!
Mica: At least we didn’t. We thought, oh fuck, this is really, really good.
Matthew: There are a lot of technical things that we're worried about to make sure that everything goes smoothly. We have production and design stuff. So we were stressed out and sort of happy it was over. But in hindsight, it sounds cool.
Your style blends pop with retro elements. Can you elaborate on the process of finding that voice?
Mica: In high school we were influenced by progressive rock. And then we became enamored, obsessed with crafting pop songs, which started off as a very mechanical process. It slowly grew into the art that we were able to express ourselves through. I'd like to think now we're in tune with all of these influences or avenues we've ever tried or been interested in. We’re meshing them together into something that’s, hopefully, new and cool. That's what we're trying to do.
Matthew: When you're first learning something, the best way is through imitation. As you grow more familiar with that something, you have the freedom to take that and mess with it in a way that feels like more unique to yourself. I don't think anyone reaches the point of being a complete, utter original, but it's a slow process that every artist goes through.
Matthew: When you're first learning something, the best way is through imitation. As you grow more familiar with that something, you have the freedom to take that and mess with it in a way that feels like more unique to yourself. I don't think anyone reaches the point of being a complete, utter original, but it's a slow process that every artist goes through.
Building off of that, can you elaborate on how you make your music or some of the tricks you’ve learned in the process?
Matthew: It’s hard to say. Our process is so natural to us, it doesn't feel like there's any trickery or tips involved. We start writing a song with a keyboard sound usually and then sort of jam on that. Then maybe find a synth sound, a drum groove, or something that evokes a specific emotion in you. And you build off of that trying to maintain that feeling throughout the song. That’s generally what we do—go through sounds that evoke certain emotions.
Mica: And your brain might start sketching out some sort of very vague thing about what this could be at the end of the process. If that feels exciting and intriguing, it's a path worth following.
Mica: And your brain might start sketching out some sort of very vague thing about what this could be at the end of the process. If that feels exciting and intriguing, it's a path worth following.
Imaginal Disk is your sophomore album. Can you guide us through the processes, and how it was different from making Mercurial World?
Matthew: Sonically, there are more live instruments. We have strings, horns, and live drums, so we spent more time recording. I think the overall palette is maybe a slightly less synth even though it’s still very synthetic.
Mica: We jammed a little more on that one. It’s hard to put into words but there are definitely some differences in the whole process.
Matthew: I think in your vocal performances, you're trying a lot of different singing styles that you weren't doing before.
Mica: Just feeling more free in that.
Mica: We jammed a little more on that one. It’s hard to put into words but there are definitely some differences in the whole process.
Matthew: I think in your vocal performances, you're trying a lot of different singing styles that you weren't doing before.
Mica: Just feeling more free in that.
Imaginal Disk has a distinctive visual and narrative style. Can you elaborate on how you created True’s journey and was the inspiration behind this story?
Mica: The way we think about it is that the album has its lyrics and narrative, and then the story that we're telling about True through our music videos is another layer of meaning that goes over that. It’s not like a rock opera where the album itself is telling that specific story. They work together as interlinked layers of stories.
Matthew: The story reflects the themes of the lyrics for sure, but the lyrics don't tell the story, if that makes sense.
Matthew: The story reflects the themes of the lyrics for sure, but the lyrics don't tell the story, if that makes sense.
That segways perfectly into my next question about the visual narrative, which perfectly captures the tone of the album. Can you give us some details on the inspiration behind this intricately surreal world and how it flows with your music?
Mica: It all starts with the music. We listen to it, we feel the mood, the emotion, and the narrative arc of the song itself.
Matthew: It follows the music and the song’s development. We need to match the narrative to that in a way so musical sections will influence plot points. As far as the visual style, we're just trying to emulate a lot of the films we've been into. We’ve worked with music director Amanda Kramer, who has a very unique style of directing because she comes from a theatre background. So she’s into this blend of theatrical performance, set design, and VFX.
Mica: Yeah, computer-generated graphics, but also practical costumes and effects. We're lucky to be able to create an observation of all the things that we find visually interesting and exciting, and make stuff out of that.
Matthew: It follows the music and the song’s development. We need to match the narrative to that in a way so musical sections will influence plot points. As far as the visual style, we're just trying to emulate a lot of the films we've been into. We’ve worked with music director Amanda Kramer, who has a very unique style of directing because she comes from a theatre background. So she’s into this blend of theatrical performance, set design, and VFX.
Mica: Yeah, computer-generated graphics, but also practical costumes and effects. We're lucky to be able to create an observation of all the things that we find visually interesting and exciting, and make stuff out of that.
Speaking more about your music videos, can you tell us what it has been like to present this story to your fans, and how have their reactions affected you?
Mica: It's not done yet. We'll just say that it's been very cool. You get to share these parts of the story.
Matthew: It's all very loose narratively, so it's fun seeing the fans trying to interpret the meaning and how close they get to how we think of it. Our website continues a lot of the narrative and a lot of the world building stuff. So seeing people dig around and piece together clues and try to figure things out is very fun for us.
Mica: Apart from people loving our music, that's my favourite reaction. To get to see someone figuring things out is so cool. People put in the thought and the time to make sense of it. But it’s also great when their interpretations are completely different.
Matthew: It's all very loose narratively, so it's fun seeing the fans trying to interpret the meaning and how close they get to how we think of it. Our website continues a lot of the narrative and a lot of the world building stuff. So seeing people dig around and piece together clues and try to figure things out is very fun for us.
Mica: Apart from people loving our music, that's my favourite reaction. To get to see someone figuring things out is so cool. People put in the thought and the time to make sense of it. But it’s also great when their interpretations are completely different.
How have their reactions to Image and Death & Romance affected your own perception of the album so far?
Matthew: I don't think we'll know until the album’s out.
Mica: Regarding the singles, it's weird putting them out; it’s a little uncomfortable because it's not the full thing and it's almost wrong in a way.
Matthew: Yeah, it does feel wrong. I mean, you need singles and I think it’s fun to tease, especially with the videos. But in an ideal world, you would just put the full thing out and let people experience it all at once.
Mica: Regarding the singles, it's weird putting them out; it’s a little uncomfortable because it's not the full thing and it's almost wrong in a way.
Matthew: Yeah, it does feel wrong. I mean, you need singles and I think it’s fun to tease, especially with the videos. But in an ideal world, you would just put the full thing out and let people experience it all at once.
As a final note, you two will be heading out on tour to promote the album starting on September 3rd. How nervous or excited are you to finally see your fans live?
Mica: I’m excited!
Matthew: Yeah, Mica’s been excited. I’m thinking more about the things we have to get done logistic-wise before embarking on the tour. But it’s the best part. Mica always says, you’re so detached when you release music online because you see the reactions on the net. And that’s not the same as seeing people sing along in the shows. It’s a very visceral reaction. So yeah, we’re excited, it’s the best part.
Mica: Regardless of the logistics, it'll be cool.
Matthew: Yeah, Mica’s been excited. I’m thinking more about the things we have to get done logistic-wise before embarking on the tour. But it’s the best part. Mica always says, you’re so detached when you release music online because you see the reactions on the net. And that’s not the same as seeing people sing along in the shows. It’s a very visceral reaction. So yeah, we’re excited, it’s the best part.
Mica: Regardless of the logistics, it'll be cool.
