Mrs Magician - Bermuda [LP]

Vinyl LP pressing. Bermuda is the 2016 effort by San Diego's dismal-pop outfit Mrs. Magician and is their second release on Swami Records. Cutting through the lacquer with a glossy shimmer, producer Swami John Reis (Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From The Crypt, Hot Snakes) conducts the band and coaxes a tightly wound, rigid backdrop for vocalist Jacob Turnbloom's morose-pop delivery. Far more non-linear lyrically than their 2012 debut album Strange Heaven, Bermuda echoes a familiar self-deprecating humor that was heavily present on the bands previous albums, but focuses less on inner personal relationships instead favoring broader inspirations of alienation and melodrama. Themes of gentrification, addiction, religion, and the intoxicating aroma of modern day conspiracy theories wrestle against a bright and tight sonic terrain. This is the ghetto of Kokomo. Musically, Bermuda is a concise collection of punk songs inspired by the big sounds of classic `60s pop and rock `n' roll with structures more associated with a `70s and `80s power pop. Thomas Garcia's blissed out, backwash guitar tones, and fuck-it, fuzz attack juxtapose the bands dry and thuddy foundation creating a tropically depressed grog. Bermuda has a boozy and breezy island malaise on the surface. But once submerged, we're exposed to confusion, nihilism, and the notion that even with all of our technology, and omnipresence of big brother, essentially we are all still very lost.