Magdalena Bay

🍲 Szechuan Hotpot, 🛌 Vivid Dreams, 🛸 Battlestar Galactica (TV series from 2004), and more.

October 22, 2024

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Magdalena Bay is a Los Angeles-based synthpop duo comprised of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin. Since debuting in 2017, the pair have received critical acclaim for releases like Mercurial World, and have continued to be one of the most exciting acts emerging from the underground. Their sound, once described by Pitchfork as “rococo synthpop confections” that “have a magic power”, has only blossomed further as proved by their most recent release, this year’s Imaginal Disk. Sound aside, they’ve also always had the coolest visuals, as well as a knack for making great BTS content over on TikTok. You can find dates for the Imaginal Mystery Tour here. Lucky for us, Magdalena Bay is here to tell us what they’ve been into.

💿

DVDs

It's all about physical media these days. If you know, you know. We were trying to find movies on streaming that just don't exist online. You never know when your favorite movie or show will be erased from the internet, so why not own it in a tangible format you can always count on?

🍲

Szechuan Hotpot

This is our favorite meal right now, Chong Qing YaoMei in Pasadena is our go to. 1/2 spicy chili oil broth and 1/2 classic bone broth when you need a spice break. Recommend the duck blood, shrimp balls, yam noodles, enoki + wood ear shrooms. And also the red bean sesame balls for a little sweet treat at the end of your meal. Matt likes to dip the sesame balls in the broth but Mica thinks that is wrong.

🐶

Adopt a puppy

We adopted a puppy this year and recommend it. At first they will peepee and poopoo everywhere but once that's figured out it's the best thing ever. Our dog Wolfie makes us laugh so much and his cuteness is like a constant stream of dopamine throughout the day. He is a good boy!

🛸

Battlestar Galactica (TV series from 2004)

We recommend this show every chance we get. It really is a great show. Probably the best show ever. It's got action, drama, and a lot of bizarre post-9/11 sentiments running through it. Just watch the pilot movie episode and you'll be hooked.

🌌

Space

If you need space from someone else for a moment, it's good to ask for it. If you never think about space, you should. The space above us is a good reminder of how some of our concerns may be trivial, in the grand scheme of the universe.

🛌

Vivid Dreams

Can't get enough of them. Inspiration lies deep inside and only a dream can paint those ideas in concrete colors and shapes. The other day I dreamt a DJ was spinning a record, but the record was actually the Milky Way. That's a nice thought!

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Magdalena Bay

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