US dream-pop duo Magic Wands have dropped their brand new EP, ‘Wishing Well’, out now on Metropolis Records — and it’s everything you’d want from a band with shimmer and shadow running through their DNA.
The six-track release pulls together a rich mix of old and new: singles Sacred Mirrors and Wishing Well, a remastered version of 2024’s Hide, a remix of Golden from their 2025 album ‘Cascades’, plus two brand new tracks — Starline and Yesterday’s Dream.
A Push and Pull Between Fear and Surrender
Lead track Starline is one of those songs that gets under your skin. The band describe it as “a push-and-pull between fear and surrender, burning like something you can’t quite hold” — a meditation on longing, release and that pivotal moment of truth. It builds with growing emotional intensity until everything else falls away and there’s, as they put it, “nothing left but love.” Gorgeous stuff.
John Ashton Steps In
One of the EP’s most intriguing moments is Sacred Mirrors, a collaboration with Psychedelic Furs guitarist John Ashton, who turns out to be a self-professed Magic Wands fan. He sent the duo an instrumental track, and they layered on additional guitar, keyboards, percussion, lyrics and vocals. The result feels like a natural meeting of minds across generations of atmospheric rock.
The title track Wishing Well, meanwhile, comes with a lyric video and brings an insistent rhythm, swirling guitars and a hazy, hypnotic vocal — immediate post-punk meets shoegaze in the best possible way.
‘Wishing Well’ Tracklist
- Starline
- Wishing Well
- Sacred Mirrors
- Yesterday’s Dream
- Hide (Remaster)
- Golden (’26 Mix)
Who Are Magic Wands?
Originally formed in Nashville and now based in Los Angeles, Magic Wands are Dexy and Chris Valentine — a duo with a signature sound built on heavily textured guitars, synth drones and ethereal vocals. Their music sits at the crossroads of shoegaze, dream-pop, post-punk and goth, conjuring an otherworldly atmosphere that’s all their own.
Their current album ‘Cascades’, released in October 2025, explores transformation, reflection and the pull of distant horizons — a record steeped in the spirit of gothic romance, centuries-old poetry and myth. It bridges the sound of their 2012 debut ‘Aloha Moon’ with their more recent work, and the press response has been glowing. Post-Punk called them “a spellbinding blend of sound that feels both familiar and foreign.” Spill Magazine went full candlelit ritual with it: “Moody and atmospheric. For maximum effectiveness, listen to it at dusk with a single candle lit.” Chain D.L.K. gave it 4.5/5, calling it “a slow, smoky invocation.”
‘Wishing Well’ is out now on Metropolis Records. Stream it, buy it on Bandcamp, and don’t be surprised if it soundtracks the rest of your spring.
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