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Magdalena Bay, the synth-pop duo consisting of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Levin, have just released their second pair of double-release songs within the last month. As the first releases to follow their critically acclaimed 2024 album Imaginal Disk, they could not have set the bar any higher for themselves. However, they managed to stun audiences and exceed expectations with the brilliant pairing of “Second Sleep” and “Star Eyes” – and now they’ve done it again with “Human Happens” and “Paint Me A Picture” just weeks later. 

“Human Happens” starts out with a murky synth that slowly becomes brighter alongside Mica Tenenbaum’s heavenly vocal adlibs. Drums infused with a trip-hop quality almost reminiscent of Portishead ease in effortlessly at the beginning of the song; the groove feels laid-back but never drags. In the first verse, Magdalena Bay transports listeners back to ancient times with references to ruins, conquerors, and Helen of Troy. But hidden among the historical imagery is a clear sentiment that persists even in modern times – that humans are imperfect beings. As Tenenbaum relays in the chorus, “Human happens / Stupid havoc / ‘Cause it’s just how I feel and I like it / I’m in trouble.” By capturing and romanticizing the chaos at the heart of the human experience, Magdalena Bay points out that life isn’t that serious a lot of the time, and they dive deep into the shared inherent qualities of impulsivity and tension within our lives. “Human Happens” is a poetic expression of how desire, change, and conflict are all inescapable parts of human nature that we must learn to embrace even when they hurt us.

Magdalena Bay makes a strong return to their signature maximalist synth-pop production with the second song in their double release, “Paint Me A Picture,” and they do so with a track that balances emotional depth with its catchiness. The bassline is full of fun percussive rhythms that remain consistent throughout the rises and falls of instrumentation; even when the drums cut out for a moment after Tenenbaum sings: “Show me the future,” the bass carries listeners through the transition to give the track new momentum. Lyrically, Magdalena Bay turns the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” into a fully realized song with phrases like, “If anybody’s asking what the picture means, yeah / Tell them that your eye doesn’t really see / It just stares.” Alongside its lush synths and robust instrumentation, “Paint Me A Picture” reminds listeners that there is always more than meets the eye to anyone you meet. 

Magdalena Bay has made it incredibly clear that they are one of the leading innovators in pop music over the last few years, and “Human Happens” and “Paint Me A Picture” only strengthen their claim to fame. Make sure to catch them on their world tour this fall in the US and this spring in Europe.