We recently had the wonderful opportunity to listen to the new EP, “Bad News” , from Magana, the solo project of acclaimed LA-based multi-instrumentalist and photographer Jeni Magaña. You can listen to “Bad News” on Spotify Here Apple Music Here

Best-known as the current bassist and backing vocalist for Mitski (recently performing on the “Coyote, My Little Brother” / “Buffalo Replaced” single), Magaña is also one-half of the pen pin pop duo with Emily Moore, and has previously played with Lady Lamb, amongst others.

In March, she returned to the Magana project after a three-year-absence with the critically acclaimed ‘Teeth’LP, which reunited her with Audio Antihero Records(Frog / CIAO MALZ / Nosferatu D2)who issued her ‘Golden Tongue’ debut in 2016. Released to coincide with the peak illumination of the Worm Moon, her return was marked with a “Witchy Rock” sound that combined Acid Folk, Synth Pop, and Indie Rock. Magaña followed this in October with ‘DREAMS,’ a multimedia project released via the UK’s Hand Drawn Hand label, which combined Ambient Electronic music with a spoken word dream diary and a book of her photography.

The ‘Bad News’ EP is her third release in a ten month period. Teasingly described by Magaña as “Cozy Core” and “Winter Pop,”these four songs see her return to the singer-songwriter focus of works like‘Golden Tongue’and ‘Teeth’ but strip away the Rock and Ambient layers, so to emphasize words, meaning, honesty, and change.

The “Bad News” EP from Magana, is a magnificent collection of well crafted songs that gently warm your soul .

The melody on the opening track, “Half To Death “ is both hauntingly beautiful and inviting , it is the perfect opening track to a wonderful collection of music .

Jeni Magaña’s vocal on “Hold On “, is positively otherworldly. Listening to “Hold On” you really feel artistic core of the EP, “Hold On” is by far our favorite track on “Bad News”

The beauty of “Shower Song “ is the authenticity and honesty that is found in the brilliant and powerful lyrics. We were hanging on every word , “Shower Song” is absolute perfection.

The final track on “Bad News”, “I’m Not Doing Anything “, is a stunningly beautifully arranged track , that artfully blends vocals and melodies to create a jaw dropping and memorable song.

This EP is the last of what I think of as an interconnected trio of releases. ‘Teeth’ was made for spring, a period of growth. It was expansive and exploring. ‘DREAMS’ was made for fall. It was about dusk, the dawning of the restful months. ‘Bad News’ is made for that period of time between the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Stillness before movement. Each song is about the period of time right before a transition: the realization that change is coming or that it needs to come. As the most lyrically driven of the releases, it is mostly about storytelling. I think of each track as a vignette of a moment in time for four different stories.” – Jeni Magaña

If music warms your soul then you owe it to yourself, to listen to “Bad News”, from Magana.