Brooklyn-based indie-rock band Here We Go Magic has experienced multiple lineup changes throughout their short history.
Drifting apart since 2012, various members have left the band as opportunities have risen, yet core members Luke Temple and Michael Bloch have remained to create Be Small, the band’s newest 11-track LP. The duo use their strengths in Be Small, with heavy synth and drum-lead tracks and some upbeat pop guitar sprinkled in.
Following A Different Ship, which was produced by Nigel Godrich, a long-time friend and producer for Radiohead, Here We Go Magic decided to leave behind the large format production and self-produce this time around. Clearly taking some inspiration from Godrich, Be Small feels more focused and is self-aware of Here We Go Magic’s inability to be defined as one cohesive sound.
Be Small is a familiar yet experimental-sounding album that will entice new listeners to go back through their discography.
The overall vibe that Be Small elicits is a revisit and renovation of the band’s first, self-titled album. Both albums create atmospheric lo-fi psychedelic sounds that entrap the listener in a somber synth-heavy wonderland. “Stella,” the second track, introduces the listener to the expansive and spacey sound of the album, using trippy synth looping and bright keyboards.
“Falling,” the first single off the album is an upbeat pop tune that varies quite significantly from the rest of the record, however the synth is what ties this tune together, as it transitions perfectly from the dreamy psychedelic title track.
Throughout the album, Temple and Bloch’s layered vocals play off of each other in a way that makes Be Small sound like a love letter to Simon and Garfunkel, with more modern instrumentation. It is this that creates the contrast of old and new throughout the album, sounding like something that could have been released decades ago and be way ahead of its time.
Be Small is a perfect album for walking in the autumn weather and losing yourself in a dark and trippy musical atmosphere.
