At the end of 2021, Los Angeles indie-pop duo Magdalena Bay released their self-produced debut album Mercurial World to mass critical acclaim, sold-out headline tours, #1 Billboard chart positions, and tours supporting the likes of Charli XCX and Flume. But before all of that, Mica Tenenbaum and Matt Lewin perfected the art of DIY with the mini mix. A series that the band began in 2019, Magdalena Bay’s mini mixes are collections of short tracks accompanied by homemade videos on YouTube. While the band’s whirlwind success has catapulted them into the mainstream, they remain deeply rooted in their humble origins, and thus returns the beloved mini mix.  

Ahead of Magdalena Bay’s momentous Coachella debut tomorrow, mini mix vol. 3 is out now. “Our mini mixes delve into eclectic sounds, sometimes pastiche,” says Magdalena Bay. “We feel less pressure while making them than with a more serious release so they naturally have a fun spirit to them. The mini mix knows no bounds in terms of genre or stylings. The only rule is we try to keep the songs relatively short, but we don’t really enforce that all too much.” 

It’s been little over a year since Mercurial World debuted, but Magdalena Bay return with mini mix vol. 3, an extension of the series begun in 2019, when Tenenbaum and Lewin spontaneously released the first collection of short tracks accompanied by homemade videos on YouTube. And after the glossy video shoots for Mercurial World, Magdalena Bay are back to basics: making DIY visuals in the comfort of their apartment, the setting that garnered viral attention on TikTok years ago. By design, mini mix vol. 3 offers listeners a spontaneity that defies the traditional album release, giving fans the thrill of an unanticipated drop. “

Over seven tracks, mini mix vol. 3 traverses a sonic galaxy, tracing new constellations in the Magdalena Bay cosmography. The sultry R&B stylings of “Top Dog,” the jagged guitar riff featured on “EXO,” collide with the decadent production on the mournful “Wandering Eyes,” and each song offers a glimpse of Magdalena Bay in a state of repose, making music for the sake of itself, free of narrative cohesion. 

Photo Courtesy: Lissyelle Laricchia