In my opinion, Imaginal Disk is the best album of 2024, with its sparkly smoothness and synth-packed songs. Coming from the band who found virality with their hit song Killshot, it’s the band Magdalena Bay’s second studio album released on Aug. 23. The duo hails from Miami and is based in Los Angeles, consisting of members Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin.
The album itself is cementing their dream-like synth sound while also expanding out into the alternative pop scene. The overall sound of the album is a bit hazy while also being fully clear and a bit loud, but it also stays quiet when needed. The whole album is very smooth with almost seamless transitions blending each song into the next. It creates an easy listening experience that’s gentle on the ears and never too jarring.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily super calm and peaceful. As stated, it gets loud when needed. The synths the group is known for are very present on each track, with some 80s undertones mixed with a bit of funk. The whole album feels like it’s covered in glitter; the only way I can describe a lot of its sound is “sparkly.”
My personal favorites from the album were Death and Romance and Love is Everywhere. On Death and Romance, there’s a piano track playing in the background of the song that blends itself into the drums. It adds that aforementioned funk sound to the song. If I could only use one word to describe the track, it’d be funky. As for Love is Everywhere, this track also has that funk inspiration to it, with its twangy guitar and smooth vocals. The synths are toned down, giving the guitar and drums more room to shine. The track feels like a good song to dance to- it’s simple with a consistent beat and tempo.
And for an honorable mention, Cry For Me has that 1980s pop influence with upbeat drums and lots of vocal reverb. The ABBA inspiration definitely sticks out on this track. It sounds like it should be covered in glitter and rhinestones.
I really enjoyed this album, but I still had things that I inevitably disliked. My other nitpicks were just with individual songs, with Angel on a Satellite feeling slightly too toned down and the lyrics in Vampire in the Corner being too repetitive and getting a bit annoying by the time the song was over. But despite my critiques of the album, it was an 8.9. It built on the band’s previous sound, and for the most of it, had that perfect balance of loud synths and instrumentals along with the smooth, dreamlike vocals. It’s definitely now one of my favorites from the duo, and I would go even as far to say it might just be one of the best albums to come out of 2024.
