Magic Man's 'Before The Waves' Is Catchy-As-Hell Electro Pop

D’you like synths? Pop? Synth-pop? You like barbeques and summer and happy shit like that? You’ll like Magic Man then, whose 2014 album ‘Before The Waves’ was released in the UK yesterday. Produced by Alex Aldi (Passion Pit, Holy Ghost!) the sound is crisp, dominated by deep saturated synths and those lovely 80’s drumbeats you hear everywhere.

For these reasons, Glasgow synth-pop exponents Chvrches are an easy comparison. They both write angst-pop love songs, but Magic Man’s vocals take it up a step with the bubblegum element. You can almost see them blowing big pink bubbles in the recording studio.

Where Chvrches have that misty undercurrent of Glasgow melancholy running through their brand of 80s pop, Magic Man have a sunny ‘merican haze.  Nevertheless, they pull this sound off with conviction and energy. With lyrics like “So cover my skin with your sunkissed light, there's a bonfire burning tonight, we could be all right”, opening track ‘Texas’ almost feels purpose built for an idyllic summer festival promo video.

‘Paris’ is built around a lovely piano riff that is infectious and will no doubt have Taylor Swift fans and teenagers all over the country jumping on beds and singing into hairbrushes.

And the whole album carries on in this fashion, it’s consistent and delivers track after track of catchy-as-hell electro pop.

To find out more about Magic Man
click here. To visit the Magic Man Facebook page
click here. Words by Josiah Whitworth

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