Artist: Damian Lazarus
Title: Magickal
Label: Crosstown Rebels
Released: 8 January
Sounds like: A fever dream flashing back to a Lazarus' sunrise set at Day Zero
Album review
Last week, Damian Lazarus dispensed with recent industry etiquette and surprised us with his fifth studio album. Landing out of the blue, it may have, but the timing of Magickal's release was no accident. It aligned with that of the flagship Tulum edition of Lazarus' Day Zero Festival.
Immersive listens will certainly give the sense of being enveloped by the Mayan jungle as Lazarus weaves one of his transcendental sets.
"With Magickal, I sought to bypass the current trend of drawn-out single drops and fragmented album experiences. This is about returning to the idea of an album as a complete, cohesive artistic statement: a pinnacle moment rather than an afterthought."
Also discarding convention, we begin our critique at the album's halfway point. Here, the latter four tracks are dusted with Lazarus' unmistakable fingerprints.
La Hija De Juan Simon blends idiosyncrasies with tribalism, flamenco guitar and ethno chanting. Spanish duo and fellow Ibiza regulars Mëstiza provide the assist. Operating in similar terrain, Mathew Jonson collab R U Dreaming is a hypnotic earworm facilitating psychedelic stupor and visions of kaleidoscopic Aztec geometry. It has astral projection capabilities and a touch of Techno menace - a sure album high point.
There are other highlights. Released as a single in-sync with the album drop is opening track Searchin'. Pitch it up just a little, and it fits the mould of track Carnao Beats would deploy to lay waste to the dancefloor at 11:00 on a Sunday morning, under a Vauxhall archway.
Serving as the counterweight, featured artist Jem Cooke puts in a claim for being the most essential vocalist in modern House music. She always manages to nail the brief.
The broken beat and bubblegum D&B vocal on Falling Down is the album's biggest departure from Lazarus' established sound. It comes as little surprise to discover Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and A-Trak are the track's co-conspirators, in what is Magickal's odd-man-out.
Ghanaian singer Jojo Abot's appearance on the Amapiano-influenced Force is another arresting moment. Meanwhile, Sunrise Generation is a track versatile for the no-man's land between last track of the night and the opening track at the afters.
Arriving at only eight tracks in length, some might argue Magickal is a little on the lean side. But there's more to come. Lazarus promises to "explore the music further with singles, remixes and a world tour" where he plans to present the album in an innovative light.
In the past, Lazarus made light of the "shaman" acclamations often thrown his way. On Magickal, his musical alchemy is observable front and centre. Magickal delivers on its creator's intentions.
If this is the calibre of music we have to look forward to in 2025, there won't bae many complaints from these quarters. Damian Lazarus and collaborators set the bar high, little over a week into the New Year.
HEADER IMAGE | by Nirvana
Highlights: Searchin', Y Don't U, R U Dreaming, Sunrise Generation
Magickal is out now and available to stream and purchase at all reputable online platforms.
