The Magic Gang share their new single ‘Make Time For Change’, which has been premiered on Radio 1 as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record in the World. The track features on the vinyl ‘Bonus Edition’ and digital formats of their new album ‘Death Of The Party’, which has moved back a week to August 28th.
Adorned with blossoming vocal harmonies and stirring brass, ‘Make Time For Change’ continues The Magic Gang’s adventures in Northern Soul, with radiant sun-kissed indie-pop that’s perfect for the summer months to come. The song’s immediately uplifting sound is balanced with introspective lyrics from Gus Taylor, who offers easy-to-achieve ideas for how to look after his mental health.
Gus commented, “‘Make Time For Change’ is a song about self-care. It’s a reminder to look after yourself and to encourage yourself to do the things that make you feel good.”
‘Make Time For Change’ is accompanied by a new visual, which perfectly captures the song’s bright and buoyant charm. Created by Laura Jayne Hodkin, the animated video playfully depicts fun and engaging scenes from a summer garden. The Magic Gang liked the end result so much that they asked Hodkin to adapt some of her visual creations to use on the forthcoming zoetrope picture disc ‘Bonus Edition’ of the album.
Laura said, “I loved the positive messages of the song and wanted to make a fun video that really expressed the same carefree, upbeat attitude!”
As with the rest of ‘Death of the Party’, ‘Make Time For Change’ was recorded in Atlanta with the Grammy-winning producer Ben H. Allen (Deerhunter, Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley).
‘Make Time For Change’ is the third single to preview the album. Lead single ‘Think’ gained Radio 1 support as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record in the World, while Jack Saunders subsequently named it as Tune of the Week. Further airplay also came from Matt Wilkinson at Beats 1 and John Kennedy at Radio X. And then ‘Take Back The Track’ was accompanied by an innovative lockdown-inspired video and is currently playlisted at Radio 1.
The Magic Gang approached the album with two objectives in mind. They aimed to broaden the scope of their harmony-rich, melodically focused pop. And inspired by Lou Reed, Alex Turner and especially Jonathan Richman they wanted to take a more observational lyrical approach.
The stories they tell reflect the experiences of many of their early-twentysomething contemporaries. They explore anxieties about money, relationships and the future, but also the fun moments that they use to escape from such issues. Two songs – Jack Kaye’s ‘Make A Sound’ and Kristian Smith’s title track – best encapsulate their flair for a narrative, with two radically different perspectives on a New Year’s Eve party. Meanwhile, the album closer ‘(The World) Outside My Door’ explores Jack’s guilt at writing music while the Extinction Rebellion protests were hitting the streets.
The Magic Gang have today added a range of ‘Death of the Party’ album bundles which are available here. The new collectible items and exclusive merch designs include signed vinyl, a triple cassette format, a bonus CD, a signed art card, t-shirts, pins and patches plus a jigsaw and a mug.
The Magic Gang also announce details of their first headline tour in support of the album, which commences in March. They’ll then embark upon their rescheduled shows as guests to Blossoms. The dates are:
MARCH
7th – Dublin, Academy 2
8th – Carlisle, Old Fire Station
9th – Liverpool, Arts Club
11th – Cardiff, Tramshed
12th – Birmingham, 02 Institute 2
13th – Gloucester, Guildhall
15th – Nottingham, Rock City
16th – Southampton, The 1865
17th – Brighton, Chalk
18th – London, EartH
19th – Norwich, Waterfront
21st – Manchester, O2 Ritz
23rd – Newcastle, O2 Academy 1 (with Blossoms)
24th – Glasgow, O2 Academy (with Blossoms)
25th – Aberdeen, Lemon Tree
26th – Hull, Arena (with Blossoms)
27th – Leeds, O2 Academy (with Blossoms)
29th – London, O2 Forum Kentish Town (with Blossoms)
30th – London, O2 Forum Kentish Town (with Blossoms)
31st – London, O2 Forum Kentish Town (with Blossoms)
APRIL
1st – Oxford, O2 Academy
2nd – Birmingham, 02 Academy (with Blossoms)
3rd – Manchester, Arena (with Blossoms)
