Magdalena Bay: Artist Spotlight
- Magda Kanecka
- Sep 12
- 3 min read
Known particularly for their hit track ‘Killshot’, which gained social media popularity in 2020 as COVID-19 lockdowns emerged, Magdalena Bay is still the duo to watch out for, with their creativity, continued musical excellence, disguised under fun melodies and top-notch vocals.
Consisting of high school friends Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin, the two specialise in alternative, dance-synth-pop music. Both having Argentinian roots and having met during a music programme in high school, the two began their dive into the music scene and played in a rock band named Tabula Rasa, before forming Magdalena Bay in 2016.
Since then, the duo has written and produced all of their works, and they are joined by a touring band during their live performances, consisting of Nick Villa on the drums and Myles Sweeney on keyboards, guitar, and bass.Magdalena Bay have so far released 3 EPs, 3 mixtapes, and 2 full-length albums.
August 23 marked a year since their latest release, their second full-length album, ‘Imaginal Disk’ (2024), recorded in studios in Los Angeles and Stockholm. The named album was further named Album of the Year by users on the music platform AOTY. Collaborating with Grimes on a remix of their single ‘Image’ only gained the duo more popularity upon this release, and Magdalena Bay are currently at nearly 6 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
My personal favourites, and songs I believe are perfect to get started if you’re just getting into Magdalena Bay, are the tracks ‘How To Get Physical’, ‘U Wanna Dance?’, ‘You Lose!’, ‘The Ballad of Matt and Mica’ and ‘Unconditional’. Their recent cover of ‘Ashes to Ashes’ by David Bowie for triple j Like A Version is also particularly notable – I believe Mica did the song justice perfectly, and I absolutely adore listening to it!
Their experimental, electronic, synth-pop tracks that are layered in production and even better in their execution,are what make the duo stand out in the music scene. In all honesty, their music makes me want to dance more than anything, and I’m such a big fan of Mica’s voice. Their playful, often mystical aesthetic is what immediately drew me into not only their music but also Matt and Mica as people and artists.
The duo has supported singers Billie Eilish on her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour and Halsey on her For My Last Trick Tour in 2025. Frequently citing Grimes, Charli XCX and Chairlift as their musical influences, it seems a lot is in the works for the duo, and I am excited to see what they plan on exploring next in their musical career. Conveniently matching my name, as a fellow Magdalena, I am certain that Magdalena Bay will be in my top five on Spotify Wrapped this year.
Magdalena Bay are set to continue their promotional album tour (Imaginal Mystery Tour) following the first anniversary of the record, commencing on 18 September 2025 in San Francisco, CA and concluding on 26 February 2026 in Stockholm, Sweden.Furthermore, upon growing fan speculation, the duo recently announced that they are working on a film adaptation of the storyline explored in ‘Imaginal Disk’, to honour the one year of the release.
I recommend Magdalena Bay to anyone that loves fun, upbeat, well-made music, or to anyone looking to listen to something new!
Click to listen to ‘Imaginal Disk’ (2024) on Spotify and Apple Music!
By Magda Kanecka for CEOL Magazine! Check out more by Magda’s here!
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