Among the many venues in Los Angeles, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery might seem like a strange option for indie-pop duo Magdalena Bay to mark as their two-date tour stop on Friday Sept. 26, and Saturday Sept. 27. But in the context of their 2024 album, “Imaginal Disk” plays with themes of self-discovery, rebirth and one’s place in humanity, it couldn’t have been a better fit.
Since that album dropped, songwriters Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin have been riding high off the success in what’s become their longest time in the sun. Whether it’s opening for Billie Eilish on the London leg of her “Hit Me Hard and Soft” tour or announcing a companion film for “Imaginal Disk,” the two have a lot on their plate.
None of that busy schedule got in the way of their ability to put on a special show on Sept. 26. Before the duo and their band took to the stage — looking like an alternate dimension version of Pee-wee Herman’s playhouse with two screens for eclectic visualizers — Oxis played a brief yet soft embrace of an opening set.
Similar to Magdalena Bay, her brand of soft electronic music also feels as though it borrows from indie artists of the aughts and repurposes it for the present. That happened to be more literal than figurative, as she covered “Kids” by MGMT, using the instrumental of her track “Long Sardine.” While Magdalena Bay was a nonstop groove for the audience, Oxis eased attendees into the show, many of whom were picnicking around the stage.
On schedule, Tenenbaum and Lewin took to the stage with “She Looked Like Me!” From there, the steady supply of “Imaginal Disk” songs kept attendees in a daze that rarely broke. At the same time, the underwhelming amount of “Mercurial World” tracks or material from their “Mini Mix” series meant the setlist likely bore a similar resemblance to a show right after “Imaginal Disk” was released.
Oddly, the decision to withhold “Killshot,” their biggest song to date, worked in their favor. The crowd never responded more enthusiastically to one song than another, ensuring momentum was consistent throughout the show.
That’s not to say the hits were absent altogether. The beat drop on “Image” was an early highlight of the show. The thick crackly bass on the outro boomed across the cemetery lawn as the audience, in a rare moment, jumped about as jubilantly as Tenenbaum’s dancing and twirling. Other songs that stood out in the first half included “You Lose!” with its glitchy production and the euphoric synth-powered build-up of “Death & Romance.”
The turning point appropriately came halfway through the set during “Tunnel Vision.” What began as a cross between Charli XCX sensibilities and progressive rock, guided by Tenenbaum’s vocals, evolved into an abrasive thrasher where tour drummer Nick Villa got to raise hell. It’s the closest thing Magdalena Bay has come to a performance worthy of a mosh pit, even though the audience simply stared in silent awe.
Like whiplash, “Top Dog” followed up “Tunnel Vision” and charmed the crowd with bubbly playfulness atop 8-bit video game synths. Sudden sonic and thematic switch-ups quickly became the norm for the rest of the setlist, ranging from the transition between the pulsating club-ready beat of “Chaeri” to the nebulous pop melodies of “That’s My Floor.”
There’s no telling what the success rate of such changes in pace would be under the direction of a different band. However, it’s a testament to Magdalena Bay and how harmonious their universe is, working in favor of the duo’s penchant for kaleidoscopic genre clashes that make good on the precedent set by bands like Sleigh Bells and Chairlift.
Before the concert, the cemetery hosted a silent disco, where attendees could listen to three new songs: “Second Sleep,” “Paint Me A Picture,” and an untitled track that has yet to be released or played live. For attendees hoping to get more new music from the show than a repeat of 2024’s setlist, they were out of luck. But that new material was enough for the time being.
Speaking of “Second Sleep,” the band saved the song, which had dropped the same day as the concert, for the encore. Despite the audience having only 24 hours to get accustomed to the single, there was little difference in its reception from the fan favorites played earlier in the set.
While carrying over hallmarks of “Imaginal Disk,” including but not limited to maximalist production, earworm choruses, and a defiance against strict genre conventions, “Second Sleep” is another win that teases at a jazzier effort with its fair share of futuristic electronica outbursts.
Although Magdalena Bay is still letting year-old material from “Imaginal Disk” dominate their setlists, the amount of effort they put in maintaining that album’s narrative, keeping the audience’s spirits high and sneaking three costume changes during an already tight show is a feat in itself. Magdalena Bay may make music for the chronically online, but their onstage theatricality proved to be as inventive and enrapturing as their albums.