Mercurial World

Mercurial World is the debut studio album by American synthpop duo Magdalena Bay, released on October 8, 2021 through Luminelle Recordings and The Orchard. The album received widespread acclaim from critics. A 28-track deluxe edition was released on September 23, 2022.

Composition

Mercurial World is a synth-pop and electronic pop album, with elements of disco, pop rock, electronica, shoegaze, EDM, vaporwave, noise pop, chiptune, progressive house, sophisti-pop, yacht-pop, and psychedelic music. The album's instrumentation consists of "funk guitar, bouncing disco piano, and every texture and tone of synth imaginable."

Critical reception

Mercurial World received a score of 78 out of 100 on review aggregate site Metacritic, based on eight critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Matt Collar of AllMusic described band member Mica Tennenbaum's vocals as "cherubic croon", comparing it to Kate Bush, Madonna, and Minnie Riperton. Katherine St. Asaph, writing for Pitchfork commended the album's sequencing, with its "gentle dissolves and impeccably timed key and tempo changes", but criticized its lyrics as "unadorned afterthoughts". Exclaim! writer Kaelen Bell called Mercurial World "a big album from small places, one that revels in the protean nature of the internet and sees the possibilities for reinvention that still exist there."

Under the Radar writer Caleb Cambell praised the album highly, saying "Magdalena Bay are quite simply talented pop songsmiths. Their debut is first and foremost a smartly crafted record, full of irresistible melodic hooks and detailed production. The results are all-enveloping and mesmerizing, crafting a glittery pop landscape with plenty of layers to uncover and unexpected new territory to explore with each listen".

Year-end lists

Track listing

Personnel

Magdalena Bay

• Matthew Lewin – writing, production, engineering, mixing, mastering
• Mica Tenenbaum – vocals, writing, production

Musicians

• Giacomo Cazzaro – saxophone
• Louie Diller – drums
• Juan Ignacio Varela – saxophone
• Nick Villa – drums

Art

• Max Taeuschel – layout
• Ram Han – artwork

Charts

References