Chicago Americana/folk group Magical Beasts show their prolific nature with the release of two EPs, When Love’s a Stranger and Peninsula, on May 1st. Fortunately, both releases are available for streaming (above and below this text). Natural vocal harmonies, riveting acoustics, and the occasional string addition comprise much of the arsenal, making for a comforting and warm vein of folk with strong, narrative lyrics and an evident high quality of musicianship.
Peninsula is a concept album that is dealing with characters who are, according to the band, “dead inside (king of undead), devolving (my own way down), or evolving. Mostly, there is a mix these energies in each of the songs. This album explores the desire to evolve, and some of the pitfalls and confrontations of personal weaknesses inside that choice to attempt to grow as a being.”
When Love’s a Stranger presents “various versions of lovers and love songs. In this case, mostly thwarted love songs.”
