Gearing up for their first-ever headline UK tour, Magnetic Skies announce the new album Fragments, out 7th November.
Classic yet delightfully futuristic all at once, the music of Magnetic Skies won a wealth of press acclaim when they released their debut album Empire Falling in 2023, a long-awaited record that saw praise for their fusion of darkwave and synthpop to create something familiar yet fresh. The upcoming new album Fragments picks up where the debut left off and runs with it, attempting to make sense of the deep-set cracks in today’s world and set against a dramatic landscape of analogue electronics and soaring vocals.
Simon Kent (frontman): ‘“Fragments” reflects a fractured, fast-moving world where identity, intimacy, and meaning are increasingly elusive; life, memory, relationships, and reality are broken into pieces, and each track is trying to gather those pieces into something coherent and meaningful. There’s a yearning for reconnection, with moments of clarity, love, and transcendence to offer salvation.’
Instrumental opener ‘No End’ – one of two tracks inspired by the works of director Krzysztof Kieslowski – is suitably cinematic, setting the album’s introspective tone before leading into previous single ‘A Place on Earth’, described by Simon as ‘sharp, urgent, and full of energy – taking inspiration from Bowie’s “Fashion” but making it our own.’
The calls for reconnection regularly appear throughout the album, whether it’s an emotional plea like on ‘Back to Life,’ trying to break through emotional distance on ‘Your Shadow’, or sensing doom creeping in on ‘Can You Feel The World?’ While these reach outwards, the claustrophobic ‘Closing In’ is more introspective: ‘There’s a sense of pressure, fear, and confrontation, personally and with society in general, like struggling with psychological warfare and external control,’ explains Simon, ‘But it also expresses the need to fight back with inner strength: “Arm me with light now”.’
A glimpse of hope amongst the chaos is ‘Slow Motion,’, which is described as ‘a surreal, dreamlike escape into euphoria or love, where time slows and nothing else matters… like a fleeting, momentary escape from reality.’ ‘The Light in You’ also takes the focus away from the confusion and onto the power of resilience, with band co-founder Jo Womar on backing vocals elevating the chorus.
Then there’s by far the most positive song on the album, ‘Everything’s Alright’, with thundering bass powering the verses and an explosion of synths in the chorus, before Jo takes the bridge’s lead vocal and transforms the track into a mesmerising duet. ‘This track captures the feeling of being present, of love, and reclaiming joy,’ says Simon. ‘A euphoric, possibly nostalgic moment where life feels whole again.’
Towards the album’s end, ‘Fire Escape’ dissects the what-ifs of breaking out, whether staying or going will work out for the best in a tension-filled track. Eventually, the album closes on its other Krzysztof Kieslowski-inspired song ‘She Calls Me On’, specifically The Double Life Of Veronique. In the words of Simon: ‘It’s about rebirth, flow, and the comfort of not being alone anymore… A sense of awakening and surrender to something greater – love, fate, or an unseen force.’ With all the dystopian imagery of the album, surrendering to a greater force sounds tempting.
Simon Kent: ‘I was drawn by themes of modern alienation and emotional burnout – I hope these songs reflect a move from tension and despair toward something more hopeful. Piecing life back together, one step at a time.’
Be sure to catch Magnetic Skies on their first-ever headline tour later this year:
Wednesday 5th November – The Victoria, Birmingham – tickets here
Thursday 6th November – The Grace, London – tickets here
Wednesday 12th November – Heartbreakers, Southampton – tickets here
Wednesday 19th November – The Hug & Pint, Glasgow – tickets here
Bio:
Initially setting out as a duo in 2019, Magnetic Skies was born as a studio-based project created by lead vocalist and keys player Simon Kent and Jo Womar also on keys, driven by a shared love of 80s synth-driven post-punk. They began building their sound and continually released EPs throughout 2020, using pulsing, vintage analogue synths and pumping bass to create a signature sound of evocative electronica mixed with darkwave. Eventually, the band created their long awaited full-length release Empire Falling, released in late 2023 with production and mixing on the album predominantly carried out in-house by Kent, alongside additional mixing duties performed by Rob Aubrey (engineer for Sex Pistols/Big Big Train/Asia).
The likes of Louder Than War, God is In The TV, When The Horn Blows, and Backseat Mafia have positively supported Magnetic Skies online, alongside press titles such as Electronic Sound, Classic Pop, Computer Music, MusicRadar and Blitzed Magazine. The band have opened sold-out shows for the likes of Altered Images, Heaven 17, Empathy Test and Then Jerico over the years.
The new album Fragments will be released on 7th November. Pre-save here.
Tickets are on sale now for the November UK tour.
ALL ONLINE LINKS FOR MAGNETIC SKIES CAN BE FOUND ON THEIR LINKTREE.