Synthpop duo Magdalena Bay’s ongoing series of ‘minimix’ EPs are basically little, self-contained pop eras served at the speed of fibre for the attention span of the TikTok generation. It’s an intriguing and audacious experiment, made even bolder by the fact that music that makes up these dioramas happens to be quite good.
On mini mix vol.3, they surge through indie synth rock, trippy bloghouse, 2000s R&B inspired electro, and vintage psych rock. The whole thing is done in about 15 minutes, ending with a reprise of the EP’s opening track so it feels like a succinct yet satisfying trip around whatever sun they happen to be orbiting here. At just about two minutes a piece, the songs here don’t have much room to grow, but they manage to pack as much punch as possible into whatever space is available. Sometimes, it works in their favour. The synth heavy Toungetwister manages to morph in and out of four different ideas in under three minutes, while delivering an instant earworm chorus. But in the case of a song like 2 Wheel Drive, while the mid-song change up is exhilarating, it doesn’t feel completely earned or as seismic as it could have felt had there been more time for the whole thing to build.
Download and stream mini mix vol.3 here
Like its predecessors, mini mix vol.3 is a satisfyingly fun little midnight snack. It speaks toward Magdalena Bay’s exciting and tongue-in-cheek approach to pop, a reminder of the style’s inherent playfulness.
Watch the full music video mix of mini mix vol.3 below.
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