Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Magdalena Bay (duo)
American musical duo From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Magdalena Bay is an American alternative pop[6] duo formed in 2016 from Miami, Florida, and currently based in Los Angeles, California. The duo consists of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin, who met in high school. Both members write and produce together, and are joined by additional musicians, Nick Villa (drums) and Myles Sweeney (keyboards), during live performances. They have released two studio albums, three EPs, and three mixtapes titled Mini Mixes.
The duo released their debut studio album, Mercurial World, on October 8, 2021. They have been noted for their informational TikTok videos on the music industry and their kitschy, DIY visuals, often inspired by early-2000s internet culture.[7][8][9] Their second album, Imaginal Disk, was released on August 23, 2024, to widespread critical acclaim.
Remove ads
History
Summarize
Perspective
1995–2016: Early lives, Tabula Rasa
Tenenbaum was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and immigrated with her family to the United States when she was one year old, growing up in Miami. Lewin was born in Miami and is of Argentine descent on his father's side.[10] Both Tenenbaum and Lewin are Jewish.[10] They originally met in high school at a program run by Live! Modern School of Music, where they were placed in a classic rock cover band and later began writing and performing their own progressive rock music with other musicians (including current Magdalena Bay touring drummer Nick Villa) as Tabula Rasa,[11][12][8] releasing a self-titled EP,[13] and a self-titled studio album.[14]
2016–2019: Formation, first singles and covers
After Tabula Rasa released their final album, Crimson,[15] Tenenbaum and Lewin formed Magdalena Bay in 2016 while on vacation from college—Tenenbaum at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and Lewin at Northeastern University in Boston—and continued to collaborate remotely.[16] The duo reconnected creatively over their appreciation for alternative pop artists Grimes, Chairlift, and Charli XCX, and wanted to recreate the sounds they were inspired by in a new project, which they named after Maggie Bay, an administrator at Lewin's former job.[9][11] Their first single, "Voc Pop", was released on June 1, which has been since removed from streaming services and YouTube.[17] In September 2016, the duo released a cover of "Head over Heels" by Tears For Fears, accompanied by a music video. 2017 saw the releases of the singles "Neon" (alongside a music video), "Set Me Off", "Drive Alone", and "Move Slow", and 2018 saw the releases of "Waking Up", "The Girls", and "Ghost".
2019–2020: First EPs, Mini Mix Vol 1. and Mini Mix Vol 2.
In January 2019, Magdalena Bay released their first two EPs Day/Pop, and Night/Pop, containing remastered versions of their early singles and covers.[18] In February, the duo began releasing short music videos on YouTube as part of a "Mag Minis" series, starting with "Afternoon in Heaven".[19] The "Mag Minis" series led to the duo being signed by indie label Luminelle Recordings, and the full "Mag Minis" series was released to streaming services as the mixtape Mini Mix Vol. 1 on July 19.[20] The duo released their first EP for Luminelle Records, A Little Rhythm and a Wicked Feeling, on March 13, 2020, and their second mixtape, Mini Mix, Vol. 2, on November 20, 2020.
2021–2023: Mercurial World, Mini Mix Vol. 3, and first tour
The duo released their debut studio album, Mercurial World, on October 8, 2021. The album's release was preceded by four singles: "Chaeri", "Secrets (Your Fire)", "You Lose!", and "Hysterical Us".[21][22][23] The album was teased with a "Y2K-inspired" website designed by Tenenbaum,[20] and music videos accompanying the album's singles were also released in promotion of the album.[24] A deluxe version of Mercurial World, containing fan-submitted "secrets", remixes, and two new songs, was released on September 23, 2022.[25]
Magdalena Bay performed at several prominent festivals in support of Mercurial World, including Primavera Sound in June 2022, Porter Robinson's Second Sky in October 2022, Coachella in April 2023 and Lollapalooza in August 2023.[26][27][28][29] On April 13, 2023, Magdalena Bay released a third mixtape, Mini Mix, Vol. 3.[30]
2024–present: Imaginal Disk
On May 28, 2024, Magdalena Bay released the single "Death & Romance", their first release under Mom + Pop Music,[31] and also announced their "Imaginal Mystery Tour".[32] On July 10, 2024, the single and accompanying music video for "Image" was released. In a post-music video livestream, the duo announced their second studio album, Imaginal Disk.[33] On July 31, 2024, the album's third single, "Tunnel Vision", was released.[34] The final single, "That's My Floor", was released on August 21, 2024. Imaginal Disk was released on August 23, 2024, to widespread critical acclaim.[35]
Imaginal Disk was named Album of the Year by users on Album of the Year (AOTY), receiving the top spot in the site's annual user rankings.
On March 28, 2025, Magdalena Bay appeared on triple j's Like a Version segment where they performed "Image" and covered David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes".[36] In support of Imaginal Disk, Magdalena Bay performed at several festivals, returning to Primavera Sound and playing at III Points Music Festival in Miami.[37][38] In July 2025, Magdalena Bay will support Billie Eilish on Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour for three nights in London. On July 31, 2025, they will return to Lollapalooza.[39]
Remove ads
Musical style and influences
The group has been described as synthpop, and they have cited Grimes, Chairlift, and Charli XCX as influences.[40] After the release of Imaginal Disk, Lewin said, "I think what would be a positive thing is if we start to be seen less as a pop group and more like an 'alternative' group."[6] Paste described them as "a pop act with a rockist core", featuring progressive rock, shoegaze and disco influences.[41] Lewin listened to progressive rock and classic rock growing up, and admitted to "making fun of people for liking popular music." He shared these influences with Tenenbaum once they met.[42]
Remove ads
Members
- Current members
- Mica Tenenbaum – lead vocals, bass, keytar (2016–present)
- Matthew Lewin – keyboards, synthesizer, guitar, bass, programming, backing vocals (2016–present)
- Current touring musicians
- Nick Villa – drums (2022–present)
- Myles Sweeney – keyboards, guitar, bass (2024–present)
Discography
Albums
- Mercurial World (2021)
- Imaginal Disk (2024)
Extended plays
- Day/Pop (2019)
- Night/Pop (2019)
- A Little Rhythm and a Wicked Feeling (2020)
Mixtapes
- Mini Mix Vol. 1 (2019)
- Mini Mix Vol. 2 (2020)
- Mini Mix Vol. 3 (2023)
Selected singles
- "Death & Romance" (2024)
- "Image" (2024)
Tours
Headlining
Opening act
- Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (2025)[45]
- Halsey – For My Last Trick: The Tour (2025)[46]
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads