July 5th, 2021 3:51pm
The Storm Was Underneath
Magdalena Bay “Chaeri”
“Chaeri” starts at a hot simmer but gradually builds up to a rolling boil, incrementally building the intensity of its longing and grief until it’s overwhelming and cathartic. Magdalena Bay, always great students of the history of modern pop, seem to be deliberately paying tribute to Robyn on this track but I think they delve into a darker emotional palette here. They’re also going into a very different sort of relationship drama, a platonic friend breakup that if anything is far more damaging and agonizing than the end of most romantic relationships. Mica Tenenbaum sings about feeling guilty, for not understanding that she was hurting this other person, for not getting she was being a “bad friend.” She’s torn up by complicated and conflicting feelings – she’s defensive, she’s self-flagellating, she’s empathetic, she’s concerned about their well-being and mental health. The lyrics start from the position that it’s all done and there’s nothing left to repair, and the pleading chorus is all coulda-woulda-shoulda. But she doesn’t sound like she’s entirely given up hope for reconciliation, even when that hope comes with the understanding that she must suffer for it: “Better crucified than alone.”
Buy it from Bandcamp.