The Chicago-based folk ensemble, Magical Beasts, is thrilled to share their latest record, Yes, My Love, I Am Reaching, an indie-folk lover’s dream. Seriously, for those of you who are fans of artists like Sufjan Stevens, Iron & Wine, or the Punch Brothers, Magical Beasts is your next favorite band.
The 6-track EP opens with the song “Come Find Me”, a slow-tempo folk number, that is clearly about love, features Nathan Paulus, John Herbst, Josh Miller, and Katie Stimpson on vocals.
The EP is full of love songs and devotional music, Magical Beasts explained. The band explains further about the record: “There is a fair amount of sexual imagery so there is no mistaking the type of devotion we are speaking about with a religion, and while not religious, nor is it purely sexual. The dynamics between Love, Sex, deep Yearning, and various forms of Union are for the listener to parse out themselves. The release is very much intended to be listened to around the time of the Winter Solstice and is very much a Winter record.”
On “7 Nights”, the track opens with simple guitar strumming and drifts into this amazing tale of romance and love, as they sang “you filled my cup, drank my love”. The instrumentation on this track is really layered well, so each instrument is heard well and clear.
The third track on the EP, “Darling”, is probably my favorite. It features the vocals well, but at the same is able to effectively blend each instrument while also maintaining an authentic, folk sound. To me, “Darling” has the most depth of the tracks, while some others maintain a slower-tempo.
“Little Buds” is a welcomed, upbeat track, and the lone uptempo song on the record, but the song still seems to be lacking something that gives the record the “it” factor.
The final song on the 6-track set, “Farthest Shore”, is a dynamic song, but with its 8:07 running time, it almost feels like it’s dragging on a bit. Unfortunately, it’s a song that really has its potential, but for me, it was just too lengthy.
Overall, Yes, My Love, I Am Reaching, is a strong EP with the ability to grow with the band’s next release. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next.
