Magic Dance was spawned on Long Island, New York, back in 2012 and has released a string of well-crafted EPs and an album since then, but 2018 saw the release of the outfit’s sophomore effort entitled "New Eyes" and the result is both satisfying and enjoyable. Spearheaded by singer/songwriter Jon Siejka, Magic Dance are all about polished and melodically strong AOR in the vein of TOTO, Survivor, and Danger Danger, but with some crunchier guitars to it than the aforementioned three acts. As you can probably tell, "New Eyes" is strongly rooted in 80s rock and pop-rock, which is to say that these guys bring absolutely nothing new to the table as such, but one cannot the quality of the strong guitar riffs, the great vocal hooks, or the tasty keyboard work. Speaking of which, there is a good balance between the guitars and keyboards present here and they complement each other nicely, but I would have liked some more prominent bass lines and powerful drums as that would have added more depth and bombast to the affair. There are some cool layers and nuances to "New Eyes" as exemplified by "Never Go Back" and "These Four Walls", and the guitar solos definitely deserve praise for being so catchy. The standout track on the disc is undoubtedly the atmospheric and driven "When Nothing’s Real".

"New Eyes" is neither essential listening nor a must-have album as it lacks truly magnificent and climactic songs, but it is a well-rounded record with plenty of memorable moments to it and fans of melodic rock and AOR ought to give it a spin or two.

 

https://magicdance.bandcamp.com/