Young Magic's Still Life
admiring a gorgeous ambient soundscape, 10 years forward
by definition, a still life preserves an artistic moment in time for posterity. this month’s collectible of choice, Still Life by New York-based electronic duo Young Magic, has the same impact from my perspective. the album celebrated its 10th anniversary this week on 5/13. i’ve had the record in my collection since 2016, back when the album was in heavy rotation on my college’s radio station.
released on Carpark Records, Still Life is Young Magic’s third studio album. the band—comprised of multi-instrumentalists and producers Melati Malay and Isaac Emmanuel—previously released Melt in 2012 and Breathing Statues in 2014. i didn’t really get into their music until Still Life arrived. the album’s premiere coincided with my graduation from the graveyard shift—a “pay your dues” sorta rite of passage for all up-and-coming DJs. when it’s just you and the music in the booth, there’s ample room to be enthralled by what you hear.
Young Magic’s sound falls under the musical umbrellas of ambient, experimental, dream pop, and trip hop. Still Life in particular could be described as: lush, mystical, ancestral, technological, filmic, and hauntological. its cinematic soul quality complements the persistent electronic fuzz that one feels and hears while working in radio before dawn.
i can recall seeing the trippy artwork for the band’s earlier albums all over Tumblr way back when. whereas those Leif Podhajsky-designed album covers were more obscure, the effortlessly stunning album art for Still Life features Malay posing in front of a blurred-out waterfall. it’s an intimate portrait of the musician, hair soaked and water dripping down her face.1
Still Life was written during a period of bereavement, following the death of Malay’s father. after traveling to her birthplace in Indonesia, Malay began digging into her multicultural family lore as she spent time on the country’s various islands, including Java and Bali. she conducted many field recordings, capturing conversations and the Javanese gamelan—a traditional ensemble featuring percussive instruments.
upon returning to her New York City residence, she connected with her bandmate to shape these discoveries into the narratives and textures that became Still Life. she also recruited cellist and composer Kelsey Lu, producer Erin Rioux, and percussionist Daniel Alejandro Siles Mendoza. the album was written and recorded in the aforementioned locations, as well as Tokyo, Japan, and the Catskills.
Malay told Interview Magazine that the album title could be interpreted in more than one way. “‘Still life’ can be one version of yourself, still like a painting, but on the other hand means that you’re constantly recreating that version of yourself according to environmental, social, political influences in this world, where people constantly tell you who to pray to, what to buy into, and who your enemies should be. It’s my reaction to that,” she said.
the following album description from the press release is also too perfect not to share:
“Still Life inhabits a gorgeous, kaleidoscopic world, as delicate and intricate, as it is expansive and immersive. It walks the line between organic and mechanic, where dusty field recordings weave between warm Moogs and Prophets, where jazz breaks bump next to broken drum machines. It’s meticulously crafted outsider pop, made by obsessives, for obsessives.”
they had me at “kaleidoscopic” and held my attention all the way until “obsessives.” (file both phrases under: about me). without any further ado, let’s dive into the tracklist.
tracklist
runtime: 33 minutes
10 tracks total
1. “Valhalla”
borrowing from Norse mythology, the opening track “Valhalla” sends out a signal to the great beyond. the song is like an incantation—captivating and spellbinding in its repetition. Malay whispers the first lyric, and it later echoes throughout the song.
“Calling out to you from all directions”
2. “Lucien”
Malay shared the backstory for this single with The FADER:
“I spent half a month gathering field recordings, collecting stories and writing music. There is a day called Nyepi or ‘Day of Silence’ where no one leaves the house because it’s believed bad spirits fly over the island. They burn effigies of their monsters (Ogoh Ogoh) and then everyone hides indoors for 24 hours. It’s incredible, the streets are completely empty. I’m not sure if these ghosts still follow me in New York, but making ‘Lucien’ was my way to make an effigy of my own Ogoh Ogoh, and then burn it to the ground.”
with that context in mind, the mesmerizing layered vocals serve as a chant to cast out doubt and disbelief. the sparse, melodic keys transcend us from one song to the next.
3. “Sleep Now”
track 3 is a somber lullaby to usher someone to the other side. lyrically, Malay pleads with mortality: “What made you think to join the exodus?” but she tearfully resolves to witness her companion as they step into the light, as a death doula would.
4. “IWY”
this song initiates my run of favorite tracks on the album, which extends to track 7. there’s much yearning in Malay’s vocal delivery as she sings “I wanted you” over and over. Kelsey Lu’s emotive cello swells with romance and continues this motif for the next couple of songs.
5. “Held”
as Malay repeats the lyric “the one that held you underwater,” i’m reminded of baptisms and the sense of renewal that they can offer. water has a purifying quality, often providing refuge and clarity—whether that’s gained in the bathtub, a shower, or on the shoreline.
6. “Default Memory”
this is my absolute favorite track on Still Life. in conversation with i-D, Malay explained that this song was written in dedication to her loved ones, “both living and passed.” she envisioned memories in motion—“orbiting, changing and reflecting each place I’ve ever walked through.”
“I enclosed a little note for you to read
About how I'd like to be with you”
7. “How Wonderful”
circling back to her feature with Interview Magazine, Malay said that this was “one of the darkest songs on the record.” she further explained that “the lyrics are toward self-exploration and then sort of denying your role in ever having complete control of your life anyway.”
it seems hopeful on the surface, but there’s much regret lurking underneath. as a listener, it’s akin to being enveloped in a sound cocoon, nestled under a canopy of trees in the forest.
8. “Homage”
as “Homage” opens, rapid yet slightly muted drums invite anticipation. there’s a brief moment where it all mellows out, allowing Malay’s ethereal vocals to appear center stage. then, all of the instrumental elements return before resolving into a final declaration.
“Please be safe
You’re everything to me”
9. “Sky Interior”
reminiscent of chamber pop, this penultimate track is like the song you hear just before a movie ends. the one that fades into the credits and blends into the post-credit sequence.
“It’s a strange symphony, your love”
10. “Valhalla (Reprise)”
upon premiering the visual for Still Life’s closing track, Malay explained via Carpark Records that this reprise was the last song recorded for the album, formed during a late-night studio session with producer Rioux. she described it as “infinite loops circulating in a world between an ancient reality and a virtual one.” the colorful and glitchy video—created by multimedia artist and musician Lionel Williams (AKA Vinyl Williams)—reflects this mirroring effect.
the album ends how it began, returning us to where we’ve once been. it offers a moment for both reincarnation and reunion. we’re reminded that matter is neither created nor destroyed, and that we may encounter souls we’ve known before—in vessels we may or may not recognize.
a new canvas
most sources cite Young Magic as an active band, but they haven’t released any new albums under this moniker since Still Life. for years, i wondered what became of this duo—it seemed as if they’d gone radio silent. using my investigative journalism skills, i discovered that they now release music as Asa Tone, a trio with producer, DJ, and composer Tristan Arp.2 Asa Tone’s most recent album was released in 2025 (expect it to be included on my next list of “music i missed last year”). Isaac Emmanuel now goes by Izak Jerasimo, AKA Kaazi. Malay also performs under the name Melati ESP.
while i’ll be playing catch-up with their discographies, i revel in the opportunity to get reacquainted with musicians who’ve inspired me before. now that Still Life is back in my rotation, i don’t see it leaving anytime soon. whether this was your first time hearing of Young Magic or a reintroduction, i highly recommend playing Still Life in its entirety below!
my favorite tracks: “Default Memory,” “Held,” “How Wonderful,” “IWY”
water has become one of my favorite motifs in album art. other albums in my collection with similar imagery: Drunk by Thundercat, Get on the Otherside by Bobby Oroza, and Bewilderment by Pale Jay.
always check the credits!