Tennenbaum’s dream-like vocals and the album’s stellar production—reminiscent of Robyn’s Honey or Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories—make for a 53-minute all-killer, no-filler earworm. This is bolstered by a narrative arc that sees Blue attempt to find its position in an unpredictable world of consecutive song titles like “Death and Romance,” “Fear, Sex” and “Vampire in the Corner.”
With seamless transitions between tracks (when you find yourself questioning whether a new song has started multiple times on first listen, you know you’re in for a treat), Mag Bay crafted an album filled with a mix of dance songs—and songs fit for an after-party—that deftly balance topics of existence, desire, and mythical creatures suddenly materializing at the function.
And for the album’s popularity, it still feels like a record only the cool kids know about. What’s more, once you realize that Tennenbaum and Lewin are actually high-school sweethearts, the pleasure of the listening experience feels extra romantic.
The record came at a time when the internet was in need of relief from the all-night revelries of Brat summer—and if it was Charli XCX who dominated the internet at the start of the season, it was Magdalena Bay who quietly claimed the crown by its close. It wasn’t too long before I even started seeing the term “Imaginal Disk Fall” being tossed around.
Even Mag Bay seemed unprepared for the album’s success. Their Imaginal Mystery Tour, first announced in May, quickly expanded on the record’s release to accommodate additional demand. At the London show I attended—the second of two more dates added after the original night sold out—the venue was almost uncomfortably full. What’s more, there was a diverse range of ages there—a testament to the Mag Bay’s widespread appeal.
Imaginal Disk offers a synth-pop, extraterrestrial-like record that will take your ears on a trip as varied as the journey its protagonist goes on. In my opinion, it’s just the sonic remedy the doctor ordered for the anxiety-inducing events of the past year. The question remains: Are you ready for the “imaginal disk” to be inserted?
Looking to sample some of the album’s best? Here are my favorites: “True Blue Interlude,” “Image,” “Vampire in the Corner,” “Watching T.V.,” and “Angel on a Satellite.”
