Magic Beans will deliver their first-ever all-instrumental LP on July 7th with Unzipped, the band announced on Friday. Along with the news, the Denver foursome has released the lead single, “Stanky Eye”, and an accompanying music video. This latest project comes barely 14 months since the band’s third studio effort, Slice of Life.
On Unzipped, Magic Beans continue to challenge themselves with yet another musical feat of strength. In addition to recording an entirely instrumental album, the band also incorporated an array of vintage technologies to achieve a retro, and at times lo-fi, sound. Those interests are exemplified on the lead single, “Stanky Eye”. The hypnotic groove finds its footing in its simplicity, as guitarist Scott Hachey gently glides along Cody Whales‘ old-school backbeat.
“Stank Eye is a sassy and sexy track with a little swagger to the melody,” Hachey said of the single. “We used a 1950’s ribbon microphone to capture a lot of the drum sound and sent that through my Japanese reel-to-reel for even more flavor. It’s an ode to retro recording techniques with some new-school energy. Just play it.”
Related: Magic Beans Go ‘That ’70s Show’ In New Video For “Sweet Thang” [Watch]
The self-produced product Unzipped also fleshes out the myriad influences that give the psychedelic soul outfit its unique sound. Modern indie influences from Tom Misch meld together with the production wizardry of J Dilla to open up into expansive plains for improvisation when these songs hit the road with Magic Beans.
“This record is pretty much a Magic Beans alter ego, one of our split personalities. We took an experimental approach diving into the lo-fi instrumental realm, using analog synths, tape machines, and vintage gear,” Hachey said.”There’s a lot of influence from producers and collectives like Timbaland, Souliquarians, and Vulfpeck—musicians who developed a signature vibe solely through the instruments and recording equipment they had access to. We want the instrumentals to exist as they are and carry wherever you wanna go, without lyrical direction. All around its a just a little sexy side piece of an album for our fans to enjoy.”
Watch the homemade music video for Magic Beans’ latest single, “Stanky Eye”, set to appear on Unzipped on July 7th. The track is also available across streaming services.
Magic Beans – “Stanky Eye” (Official Video)
The post Magic Beans To Utilize Retro & Lo-Fi Recording Techniques On Instrumental LP ‘Unzipped’ [Video] appeared first on L4LM.
