Magic Magic has quietly released a plethora of new woozy, stoner dream pop over the past four months. The prodigious Boston five-piece has written and recorded two full-lengths and one EP respectively during this time: Whatever Happened to Monday Nights?, LP II and TV Life EP. All releases are available digitally – stream them here. With over thirty tracks between the releases, Magic Magic will certainly have lots of new material for their upcoming March tour.
Magic Magic’s latest full-length, LP II, is their third release and marked with the kind of maturity that comes from a deeper understanding of one’s self and the passage from teen to the world of a twenty-something. Not quite old enough to be world weary, but just the right age to pile youthful experience, vigor and a scrappy je ne sais quois into ten tracks.
LP II strikes with jangly guitar hooks and duel drummers Dylan Gough and Mike Hadly who punctuate delicate lead vocals and beat at the smoldering, hazy layers of sound. At its quieter moments, like "In the Lounge", the album smartly pits soft, yearning pleas for mercy against a minimalist, shadowy soundscape. It’s a testament to Magic Magic’s knack for building immediately appealing, emotionally raw and powerful songs.
Whatever Happened to Monday Nights? was recorded at the end of last year in the confines of the a rehearsal space and a cold, unforgiving winter. Escaping a winter of record breaking Boston snow in favor of Nick Sera’s balmy bass grooves and Brendan Hughes’ bright guitar riffs on "Been Feelin’ Alright", the album as a whole flourishes with a warm, breezy easiness.
The newest addition to the discography is TV Life EP, a three-track insight into the next full-length by the same name. It is currently being written and recorded in their rehearsal space. "Afterglow" is a particularly promising start with a ruckus swell of frenetic guitars and punchy vocals that melts into a slow, pounding finish. The TV Life LP is set to be released in late spring/ early summer of this year.
At the beginning of March, the five-piece will climb into their camper and start their first real tour outside of Europe. An eight-day Midwestern tour will be their brief introduction to the sprawling American highway system and new audiences in the Great Plains. Tour dates are listed below.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
3/12: Pianos (New York, NY)
3/13: Danger Danger Gallery (Philadelphia, PA)
3/14: Marburg Collective (Cincinatti, OH)
3/15: Beauty Bar (Chicago, IL)
3/16: Upstairs Lounge (St. Louis, MO)
3/17: The Bishop (Bloomington, IN)
3/19: The Elevens (Northampton, MA)
–The Deli Staff