Magana, the musical moniker of Jeni Magana, has been on our radar since back in 2016, when she released her acclaimed debut EP, Golden Tongue. The record caught the ear of an array of websites, tastemakers and radio stations, as well as securing Magana support slots with the likes of Mitski, Lady Lamb and Laura Cortese. Since that release, a few singles and a lot of shows aside, Jeni has largely been working on what will become her debut album, You Are Not A Morning Person, and today we’re premiering a brand-new track from it, Jenny Don’t Leave.

Jenny Don’t Leave marks something of a departure for Magana, while the presence of Jeni’s vocal remains as a velvety constant, here the crunchier, rockier feel of the backing is evident throughout. The track starts with a bouncing, muted guitar line, and the steady drive of the rhythm section, that core remains across the opening half of the track, as waves of synth and percussive piano lines come and go. After two minutes the track takes a compelling change of direction, as a woozy bar-room piano and smoky brass take the track somewhere completely different, matching with the lyrical crescendo, “Jenny don’t cry, Jenny don’t cry about me, Jenny don’t leave, Jenny don’t leave me lonely”.

Discussing the inspiration behind the track, Jeni has suggested it is, “a fight between my two selves”. The track reflects on how sometimes we forget to be kind to ourselves, “I’m using this song as a reminder to be a healthy partner in the relationship with myself because in the end, I’m all I’ve got”. That feeling of finding a place for yourself, which seems so relevant at the moment, is reflected in the lyrics, as Jeni notes, “I know the things you said to you, and the things you said to me weren’t cool but we will keep going”, after all a relationship with yourself is the only one you can’t walk away from.

The track is accompanied by a video tribute to the 1971 cult classic horror movie “Let’s Scare Jessica to Death.” Here in just three minutes, Magana draws on the narratives, visuals, and locations of the original film to plot the story of three friends returning to their holiday home and finding a mysterious squatter sharing their home, with troubling consequences. Check out the video below and get excited about just how good the debut Magana album seems certain to be.

You Are Not A Morning Person will be out later this year. Click HERE for more information on Magana.

 

VIDEO CREDITS
Director: Kyle Kuchta
DP: Bill Fulkerson
Produced by OTC Industries
AD: Dani Scott
PA: Mike Kuchta
Dead friend 1: Jonathan Smith
Dead friend 2: Adam Benway
Mystery woman: Lili Tati