Magdalena Bay Releases Double Single "Second Sleep / Star Eyes" As An Ethereal Album Successor
Magdalena Bay is back and continuing an absolutely incredible run. Their latest two-track release, “Second Sleep” // “Star Eyes,” follows their critically acclaimed 2024 sophomore LP Imaginal Disk, and is an expansion of an established, surrealist universe.
As band members Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin explained in a press statement, “‘Second Sleep” and “Star Eyes” are two songs we made around the end of Imaginal Disk - both a sort of spiritual successor to the album’s mood and emotional arc.” Acting as an extension of an already groundbreaking record, these two singles aren’t just B-sides; they're a stunning reflection of an individualistic and fantastical style that is uniquely theirs, and giving listeners a thrilling snippet of what the group will do next.
“Second Sleep” is a truly thrilling dive into the surrealist, romantic aesthetic the band, led by Tenenbaum and Lewin, has curated. It’s a shadowy, cinematic gem that provides a perfect counterpoint to their signature synth-heavy and futuristic sound. With an accompanying music video, directed by Amalia Irons and edited by the band themselves, the video is a hazy, nebulous late night odyssey. We won’t spoil the journey - just go check it out for yourselves. (and obviously, you’ll be hitting replay!)
Where “Second Sleep” delivers an intoxicating sonic high, ‘Star Eyes’ is its celestial comedown. With poetic lyrics rife with visually descriptive language, “Oh, some days I'm half dead//On the bad times//And I just lift my head//I don't hear a word they said//Let the summer fires roar instead.” The track is a tug-of-war between defeat and perseverance, as the track continues into the chorus, “Star eyes, I can't change the fading of a twilight//But you've gotta chase the night away.” With the track’s narrator providing a glimmer of hope in otherwise stifling circumstances. “Star Eyes” flips the script on the lead single’s high-energy finish, and is rich with resonant saxophone brassiness and radiant, fluid instrumentation with a fluidity that evokes the grandeur of a full orchestra.
Beyond the new music, Magdalena Bay’s phenomenal momentum continues to carry them across the world. The Imaginal Mystery Tour is currently hitting North America, before moving on to a massive run of dates across the United Kingdom and Europe in 2026.
