The synth-pop revolution is here. The Weeknd, Mitski and Laura Mvula are just a few examples of major artists embracing this sound in their newer releases. However, an up-and-coming duo from Miami are storming the internet with their own unique approach to this. Aesthetically and sonically, Magdalena Bay simultaneously embody nostalgia and futurism — their debut album, Mercurial World, recalls 80s-style hits, while also fusing influences from outside the genre, resulting in an inventive project that sees itself at the forefront of alternative-pop music, in a similar vein to artists like Caroline Polachek or Christine and the Queens.

Another aspect of the group that sets them apart is their devotion to and interaction with their online community. Streaming on Twitch every Monday and having a significant TikTok presence has meant that the duo have cultivated an impressive online fanbase. My first question for the two is how they started building this online presence, and Matt’s answer for me perfectly reflects a resourceful optimism that feels comforting to hear. “We were about to go on tour in 2020 in March, and I’m sure you know how that ended up. We went back home and were sitting around and thought how can we best make use of this time? So, in that time period we wrote Mercurial World, we started messing around with TikTok and seeing how we could use that, and then we started Twitch later.”

“Magdalena Bay’s music videos are a defining element in the duo’s charm”

Mica adds: “We just started streaming really casually, in the absence of the real world interactions you get with fans at shows, it’s been so nice to have that weekly thing to look forward to and hang out. We were just finding ways to keep ourselves busy and connect and keep things happening while we were in lockdown.” When I ask what they miss most about touring, Mica responds: “We didn’t do that many shows before lockdown, we’d just got a taste of it. Now, we went on tour in October and got more experience. It’s great — we love to sell our merch and be at the merch table after our set, and say hi, that’s like the best part!”

At the time of the release, the two seemed overwhelmed by the universal acclaim that Mercurial World received, and four months later not much has changed. With songs discussing themes ranging from relationships and anxiety to celebrity culture and destiny, I was curious about their own favourite song on the record and, with confidence, they point to ‘Hysterical Us’, which Matt calls “the emotional, mental thesis statement of the album”.

Eager to hear more about the visual side of their artistry, I inquire about their aesthetic, which blends 90s-style filmography with Y2K-reminiscent bubblegum. Magdalena Bay’s music videos are a defining element in the duo’s charm — Matt, semi-jokingly, says: “The VHS thing started because making music videos is expensive! We found that if you try to do a high budget video but don’t have the resources to, it ends up sitting in this weird space that isn’t really a good place to be.” Mica adds: “When we started out, we made a couple of videos and some of them were meant to look more hi-fi, which we didn’t end up liking. The one we made with a friend that was just on VHS in Miami, and was so wacky and leaning into the 80s thing worked because it had this charm to it.” And truly, it is this charm and personality to the project that adds an even more memorable quality to the work of these excellent musicians.

Influence-wise, it’s incredibly difficult to pin down Magdalena Bay. Adopting visual and sonic elements from various decades, with vocals beautifully balancing a delicate tone with a full sound, their music feels at once like a culmination of all preceding pop music and like nothing pop music has seen before. Mica tells me that “everything right now is not tied into specific genres, everything kind of pulls from everything”, which aptly summarises the originality of their sound. Considering their history in a prog rock band, Matt goes on to say: “I love the idea of the album as a cohesive body of work. Concept albums are a big thing in prog and I don’t think we necessarily made a concept album but there is this thematic thing that ties the whole thing together and that is something that really appeals to me when I think of the album.” Mica comments, “when we first started making pop, since we were new to it, we were focused on specifically pop artists or pop sounds; by the time we made Mercurial World, we knew what we sounded like more than ever before and were curious about bringing other things into the mix from outside the genre.”

Wrapping up the interview, I ask about what we can expect from Magdalena Bay in the future. “Mercurial World has a really specific mood to it, and maybe, what’s next, we’ll want to dip into some other mood. That’s all I can really predict.” They end by stating that they’re both enthusiastic to get back into live music, as they’re about to play their first headline tour in the US, a major milestone for the two. They’re showing no signs of losing momentum and the distinctive vision and innovative approach of this rising pop sensation makes me keen to see what their future holds.