Killbeat Music
Released on July 10th, 2026
As I begin to write about this album, it is not lost on me that the only way to really experience the music of Magi Merlin is to listen to it yourself. As someone previously unfamiliar with her work, going into her debut album POWER HOUSE was truly an experience unlike any other. The opening track “Welcome Home” is one of the most unique tracks I have ever listened to, and it sets the tone for the album ahead – R&B and alternative pop, with a heavy lean on the alternative.
What I find makes these tracks have such an avant garde tone to them is how the drum fills interact with the surrounding track. It’s a subversion of what you would hear in a traditional R&B or pop track. Sometimes it feels more reminiscent to EDM, punk, or even dubstep. This is best heard in the track “EAT!ME!OUT!”, which feels like the joyous result of ballroom jazz colliding with Aphex Twin.
The lyrics also carry an irreverent tone, adding more to this contrast between Magi Merlin and what we’ve seen from contemporary pop stars. This unique tone sets Magi Merlin apart and makes sure that you don’t know what you’re in for, not just between one song and the next, but inside of songs themselves. The sixth track “WHIP” is a funky song that’s catchy from the get-go, yet these eccentric tones are peppered throughout the track, reminding the listener that this song could swerve into any direction Although the song retains its funk throughout, the very end, freezing on the vocals and fading out, brings us back into the dream world that Magi Merlin has created.
Rather than develop a specific sound, tone, or vibe to carry the album, POWER HOUSE could best be described by its own title. Magi Merlin regularly breaks genre convention and makes each song serve an entirely different musical direction, which further aids to this unpredictable powerhouse of an album. This album could not have been made by anybody else but Magi Merlin, and that’s what makes it such a delightful listen the entire way through. Some songs are trance-like and soulful, others are heavy and distorted. Whatever the vibe, Magi Merlin delivers some goosebump inducing vocals, some heartbreaking insights, and a whole lot of sass.
My favourite track is “pixxxie”, which tells the story seeking casual relationships for the affirmation it provides. This song’s instrumental is the most traditional R&B vibe we get on the album, but it retains that unique Magi Merlin style through its lyrics, “I’m not lost / I’m just in your bed” or “Did you miss it when she cried then? / Picking at her bones / Not knowing shit is such bliss / Who are you to grow?”
If you’re looking for an alt-pop album that offerings a listening experience unlike any other, look no further than POWER HOUSE. It’s a powerful debut LP and it’s one that I’m very excited to dive back into. If you like heartfelt love tracks and an empowering disposition, you’ll find this album to be a definitive no-skipper.
