"Image" is a song by the American duo Magdalena Bay from their second album, Imaginal Disk (2024). It was released through Mom Pop Music on July 10, 2024, as the album's second single. Both members of the band, Matthew Lewin and Mica Tenenbaum, wrote and produced the song. It is a synth-pop, disco, and pop track with mainly bass guitar and synthesizers, which build up to the last chorus. A music video for "Image", directed by Amanda Kramer, premiered alongside the song; it was inspired by Peter Gabriel.
| "Image" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Magdalena Bay | ||||
| from the album Imaginal Disk | ||||
| Released | July 10, 2024 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:32 | |||
| Label | Mom Pop | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Magdalena Bay | |||
| Magdalena Bay singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Grimes singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Image" on YouTube | ||||
Music critics received "Image" positively, appearing in year-end listicles of the best songs. Some of them noted similarities between Tenenbaum's vocal affectations and those from the Canadian musician Grimes, who was cited by the duo as an inspiration for their early work. A remix version with Grimes was released on October 29, 2024. Magdalena Bay included "Image" on the regular set list of the Imaginal Mystery Tour. To promote the song, they also performed it at their late-night television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
Background and release
editAfter being signed to the record label Mom Pop Music, the American duo Magdalena Bay released the single "Death & Romance" on May 28, 2024. Subsequently, they announced a concert tour, the Imaginal Mystery Tour.[1][2] On July 10, the duo released "Image" and announced their second album, Imaginal Disk. They also revealed its track listing, in which "Image" appears as the fourth track.[3][4] In a statement regarding the song, the duo shared: "Close your eyes. Imagine a brand new, better you. Now wait 22 minutes. Now open your eyes. Meet your brand new image! Isn't it amazing that the meat in our heads can do this?".[5] On October 29, 2024, they shared a remix version with the Canadian musician Grimes,[6] who inspired the beginnings of the band members' musical career.[7] They expressed their exciment after the release of the remix, describing it as "a big deal".[8]
Composition
edit"Image" is 3 minutes and 32 seconds long. Both members of Magdalena Bay—Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin—wrote and produced the track. It was mixed by Dave Fridmann and mastered by Emily Lazar.[9] Musically, it is a disco,[10][11] synth-pop,[12] and pop track.[13] The 1980s-inspired production is "lush and glimmering", according to Rome Saenz of Billboard Philippines.[12] It contains a bassline, 4/4 kick drum,[11] and "sparkling" synthesizers that builds up as the song progresses.[14] The lyrics center on self-reinvention.[14] The first chorus mentions "22 more minutes", while the second says "21 more minutes", initiating a countdown; after that period of time in Imaginal Disk, a breakdown in the song "Tunnel Vision" is presented, which leads into the album's second act.[15]
For Stereogum, Abby Jones described the track as both futuristic and nostalgic, beginning "as a mellower, vaporwave-meets-pop diva jam, until a delightfully blown-out bass crashes into the final chorus".[16] The affectations of Tenenbaum's haunting vocals[17] were compared by Paste's Eric Bennett to those from Grimes.[7] The remix with Grimes starts with a pitched-up voice saying: "The seats are empty. The theater is dark. So, why do you keep dancing?" On the remix, the original tempo is slowed down, and "heavier" synthesizers appear.[18]
Critical reception
editWriting for The Line of Best Fit, Matthew Kim opined that, as in other songs on Imaginal Disk, the instrumentals match the lyricism vibe, praising the "crunchiness" of the final chorus of the track.[19] Evan Sawdey for Spin said that the song "showed the group still could make spacey bangers if they wanted to".[20] Flood Magazine's Will Schube stated that it sounds "like [it] emanated from an alien spaceship", and that the bass and snare slaps "give the chorus a biting edge".[17] Vogue's Liam Hess described "Image" as a catchy "pop perfection" hard to find on other album released in 2024.[13]
"Image" was added to publications' listicles of best music. Under the Radar named "Image" the best song of its release week.[21] In rankings of the best songs published in 2024, "Image" was placed at number 4 by Slant Magazine[22] and number 25 by Consequence, with the latter's critic P. Ragusa believing that it contains "some of [the duo's] slickest instrumentals and satisfying melodies".[23] "Image" was also added to an unranked year-end list by Billboard Philippines.[12]
Music video
editAmanda Kramer directed the music video for "Image", released alongside the single.[24] It follows the video for "Death & Romance", which found True, a character played by Tenenbaum, getting an "imaginal disk" upgrade inserted into her forehead.[21] The video for "Image" goes "back in time" to a waiting room before the appointment.[3][14] It features a star-shaped monster, as well as a fictional home shopping network.[4] When her time comes, the video contains mid-90s computer graphics and the monster chases her. After the sequence, it gets her into a operating chair and starts "looming over her with a comically large pair of scissors".[14] Lewin mentioned the English musician Peter Gabriel as a reference for the video, specifically naming the visuals of "Steam" (1993) and "Sledgehammer" (1986).[15] Jonah Krueger of Consequence described it as "intensely danceable" and perceived vaporwave aesthetics.[4]
Live performances
editMagdalena Bay included "Image" on the regular set list of the Imaginal Mystery Tour in 2024. The duo played Imaginal Disk in full and in order, interspersing it with other songs from their discography, including "Secrets (Your Fire)" and "You Lose!" from their previous album Mercurial World (2021).[25] On October 30, 2024, the duo made their late-night television debut with a performance of "Image" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[26] They transferred the "mystical imagery" from the music video to the stage,[27] with Tenenbaum wearing the same outfit and singing in front of a mirror-like video screen from their live concerts.[28]
References
edit- ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (May 28, 2024). "Magdalena Bay sign to Mom Pop and share their new single, "Death & Romance"". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ Corcoran, Nina (May 28, 2024). "Magdalena Bay Announce Tour, Share New Song "Death & Romance": Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Kelly, Tyler Damara (July 11, 2024). "Magdalena Bay announce their second album, Imaginal Disk". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ a b c Krueger, Jonah (July 10, 2024). "Magdalena Bay Announce New Album Imaginal Disk, Unveil "Image": Stream". Consequence. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ Wescott, Andrew (July 10, 2024). "Magdalena Bay have unveiled details of their second album, 'Imaginal Disk'". Dork. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (October 29, 2024). "Magdalena Bay unveil Grimes remix of their track, "Image"". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Bennett, Eric (August 23, 2024). "Magdalena Bay Stretch Out on Imaginal Disk". Paste. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ Bell, Kaelen (October 30, 2024). "Grimes Remixes Magdalena Bay's "Image"". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ "Image — Song by Magdalena Bay". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ Robinson, Otis (August 21, 2024). "Magdalena Bay – 'Imaginal Disk' review: a time capsule of post-internet existentialism". NME. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Seip, Nick (August 19, 2024). "Magdalena Bay 'Imaginal Disk' Review: Everything Everywhere All at Once". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c "The 50 Best Songs Of 2024 — Staff Picks". Billboard Philippines. December 13, 2024. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ a b Hess, Liam (August 22, 2024). "'It's About the Big Questions': Magdalena Bay's Brilliant New Album Is Where Pop Meets Prog-Rock". Vogue. Archived from the original on August 23, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Blistein, Jon (July 10, 2024). "Magdalena Bay Want You to Imagine a Brand New You on 'Image'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Shosa, Travis (August 13, 2024). "Magdalena Bay want to defy your expectations". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ Jones, Abby (July 10, 2024). "Magdalena Bay – "Image"". Stereogum. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Schube, Will (July 10, 2024). "Magdalena Bay Detail New LP Imaginal Disk, Imagine a Brand New Magdalena Bay on New Track "Image"". Flood Magazine. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ Jones, Abby (October 29, 2024). "Grimes Joins Magdalena Bay On New "Image" Remix". Stereogum. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ Kim, Matthew (August 22, 2024). "Imaginal Disk is Magdalena Bay discovering their sci-fi synthpop niche". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on August 22, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ Sawdey, Evan (August 26, 2024). "Let the Bees Do Their Buzz: Spinning the 'Imaginal Disk' With Magdalena Bay". Spin. Archived from the original on August 26, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
- ^ a b Redfern, Mark (August 23, 2024). "15 Best Songs of the Week: Magdalena Bay, Cassandra Jenkins, King Gizzard, Nilüfer Yanya, and More". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
- ^ "The 50 Best Songs of 2024". Slant Magazine. December 11, 2024. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ "200 Best Songs of 2024". Consequence. December 9, 2024. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ Pappis, Konstantinos (July 10, 2024). "Magdalena Bay Announce New Album 'Imaginal Disk', Share Video for New Song". Our Culture Mag. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
- ^ Firth, Abigail (November 26, 2024). "Magdalena Bay bring to life the bonkers story of 'Imaginal Disk' at London's HERE at Outernet". Dork. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (October 31, 2024). "Watch Magdalena Bay Make Their Ultra-Trippy TV Debut, Performing "Image" On Kimmel". Stereogum. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ Pappis, Konstantinos (October 31, 2024). "Watch Magdalena Bay Perform 'Image' on 'Kimmel'". Our Culture Mag. Archived from the original on December 10, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ Redfern, Mark (October 31, 2024). "Watch Magdalena Bay Make Their Late Night TV Debut Performing "Image" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"". Under the Radar. Retrieved October 31, 2024.