**“Chaeri” is the first single taken from Magdalena Bay‘s debut album, Mercurial World, out October 8 via Luminelle.**

It’s the moment we had been waiting for years. Magdalena Bay – Mica Tenenbaum + Matthew Lewinn – whom we’ve been following for ages in HighClouds (cue James Murphy on “Losing My Edge”), have finally announced their debut album. The LA-based duo have announced that October 8 will see the release of Mercurial World, a record made up of 14 brand new songs. None of the amazing singles they put out last year have made the cut, which we hope speaks for the quality standard that’s waiting for us with Mercurial World.

Magdalena Bay have also shared the lead single off the album. “Chaeri” is not as immediate as the singles that catapulted the pair into stardom, but it does not disappoint. The song ditches the bubblegum pop influences of their early material in favour of a house-inspired vibe, leaning on a repetitive but effective beat. “Chaeri” is still a dancefloor-ready electropop song, but it’s granted an unsettling quality by its dark undertones – the final refrain “Better crucified / than alone / Better cut and dried / than unknown” is particularly haunting. The video for the song, directed by Luke Orlando, taps into a cyberpunk aesthetic that fits the tune perfectly. Magdalena Bay have also shared a post-post-post-modern website for the album, where you can hear some pretty ominous synths that will hopefully be part of the record. Watch and pre-order via Bandcamp below.