Mercurial World

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Mercurial World
Mercurial World.jpeg
Studio album by
Magdalena Bay
ReleasedOctober 8, 2021 (2021-10-08)
Genre
Length45:05
Label
ProducerMagdalena Bay
Magdalena Bay chronology
Mini Mix, Vol. 2
(2020) 		Mercurial World
(2021)
Singles from Mercurial World
  1. "Chaeri"
    Released: June 30, 2021
  2. "Secrets (Your Fire)"
    Released: August 11, 2021
  3. "You Lose!"
    Released: September 15, 2021
  4. "Hysterical Us"
    Released: October 5, 2021
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Beats Per Minute74%[3]
Exclaim!7/10[4]
The Guardian[5]
Pitchfork8.0/10[6]
PopMatters8/10[7]
Under the Radar[8]

Mercurial World is the debut studio album by American synthpop duo Magdalena Bay, released on October 8, 2021, through Luminelle Recordings and The Orchard.[9] The album received widespread acclaim from critics, and was listed as the best album of 2021 by Gorilla vs. Bear, who also owns their label.

Composition[]

Mercurial World is a synth-pop,[6] electronic pop,[7] alt-pop,[3] and dream pop[10] album with elements of disco,[2] funk,[4] pop rock,[4] electronica,[2] shoegaze,[2] industrial,[2] EDM,[7] hyperpop,[7] vaporwave,[7] noise pop,[8] chiptune,[8] baroque pop,[8] progressive house,[3] G-funk,[3] sophisti-pop,[3] yacht-pop,[5] psychedelic music,[4] and video game music.[7] The album's instrumentation consists of "funk guitar, bouncing disco piano, and every texture and tone of synth imaginable."[4]

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".[1] Matt Collar of AllMusic described band member Mica Tennenbaum's vocals as "cherubic croon", comparing it to Kate Bush, Madonna, and Minnie Ripperton.[2] 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".[6] 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."[4]

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".[8]

Year-end lists[]

Critics' rankings for Mercurial World
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
God Is in the TV God Is in the TV Albums of 2021: 50–1 34 [10]
Gorilla vs. Bear Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of 2021 1 [11]
The New Yorker – Sheldon Pearce My Thirty Favorite Albums of 2021 N/A [12]
Our Culture Mag The 50 Best Albums of 2021 19 [13]
PopMatters The 75 Best Albums of 2021 20 [14]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2021 49 [15]
The Best Progressive Pop Music of 2021 N/A [16]
Rolling Stone – Rob Sheffield Rob Sheffield's Top 20 Albums of 2021 13 [17]
The Young Folks The 50 Best Albums of 2021 47 [18]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by and produced by Magdalena Bay.

Mercurial World track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The End"0:31
2."Mercurial World"3:01
3."Dawning of the Season"3:24
4."Secrets (Your Fire)"4:05
5."You Lose!"3:24
6."Something for 2"3:36
7."Chaeri"4:17
8."Halfway"1:58
9."Hysterical Us"3:55
10."Prophecy"3:34
11."Follow the Leader"3:04
12."Domino"3:42
13."Dreamcatching"3:27
14."The Beginning"4:01
Total length:45:05

Personnel[]

Magdalena Bay[]

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

Musicians[]

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

Art[]

  • Max Taeuschel – layout
  • Ram Han – artwork

Charts[]

Chart performance for Mercurial World
Chart (2021) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[19] 18

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Mercurial World by Magdalena Bay". Metacritic. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Collar, Matt. "Mercurial World by Magdalena Bay Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e Cohn, Ben (October 15, 2021). "Album Review: Magdalena Bay – Mercurial World". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Bell, Kaelan (October 7, 2021). "Magdalena Bay Surf Beyond the Internet on 'Mercurial World'". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Snapes, Laura (October 8, 2021). "Magdalena Bay: Mercurial World review – poolside pop with seductive charm". The Guardian. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c St. Asaph, Katherine (October 14, 2021). "Mercurial World Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Moura, Rob (October 25, 2021). "Magdalena Bay Album Review". PopMatters. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e Campbell, Caleb (December 31, 2021). "Magdalena Bay – Mercurial World". Under the Radar. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  9. ^ Werner, Haley (October 8, 2021). "Out Today by The Orchard: boylife, Juls, Magdalena Bay". Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "God Is In The TV Albums of 2021: 50- 1". God Is in the TV. December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  11. ^ "Gorilla Vs. Bear's Albums of 2021". Gorilla vs. Bear. December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  12. ^ Perace, Sheldon (December 21, 2021). "My Thirty Favorite Albums of 2021". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  13. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Our Culture Mag. December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  14. ^ "The 75 Best Albums of 2021". PopMatters. December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  15. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Pitchfork. December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  16. ^ "The Best Progressive Pop Music of 2021". Pitchfork. December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  17. ^ Sheffield, Rob (December 21, 2021). "Rob Sheffield's Top 20 Albums of 2021". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  18. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". The Young Folks. December 29, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  19. ^ "Heatseekers Albums: December 4, 2021". Billboard. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
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