Home > Press > The Fader - The Magic Gang return with Northern soul-inspired “Think”

The Fader - The Magic Gang return with Northern soul-inspired “Think” 4 February 2020




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Watch the British band find themselves on the dancefloor and read a Q+A with the group.

 

The Northern soul scene of the 1970s regularly offered up fantastic and surreal sights in which men and women from industrial towns in the north-west of England danced like Olympic gymnasts to rare black American soul 45s. Men with moustaches and labor-intensive jobs cut loose with a series of spins, slides, and high kicks to some of the most life-affirming music imaginable.

 

Understandably, British band The Magic Gang were keen to channel some of that energy when making the follow-up to their 2018 debut album. "Think" is the first taste of the indie group's second record, made in Atlanta with producer Ben H. Allen (Deerhunter, Animal Collective) and due later in 2020, and marks a joyous new chapter in the melodically-gifted unit's journey. Taking the vinyl obscurities favored by DJs at northern soul clubs like Wigan Casino, as well as a hearty dose of Dexy's Midnight Runners, as a jump-off point, "Think" is an undeniably catchy and energetice exercise.

It comes with a video shot in east London venue Moth Club. In the video the band sit and sup pints of Guiness while a dancer (Lauren Fitzpatrick) moves to the heavy beat and fast tempo of the music, pulling off some of the 70s-era moves. The band, having drunk some more, eventually give in to the music and join her on the dancefloor. It's a fun video and a sly introduction to the themes of the band's new music, which interrogates both the free abandon of a great night out and the anxiety and introspection the following morning can bring.

Check out the video below and read on for a q+a with band members Gus Taylor, Jack Kaye, Kristian Smith, and Paeris Giles.


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