01/30/2026
Today is Bartees Strange's birthday — and to celebrate, we’ve finally put MAGIC BOY on streaming. (A few songs hit DSPs in 2024 alongside the vinyl and limited LPs are still available.)
MAGIC BOY collects songs Bartees wrote about 10 years ago while living in Brooklyn, near Nostrand & Eastern Parkway, and still finding his way in art, work, and friends.
“I didn’t care about much other than making music,” says Bartees. “I spent so much time on it. It felt so good to be obsessed with something in a new way. This record stirred something in me…this small snapshot of my life.”
It was his first release, before he’d settled into the name Bartees Strange. We worked with him to give it a facelift: revised sequence, plus cover art by The National's Scott Devendorf.
Bartees has come a long way since then. As much as we’re celebrating the record, tonight’s tour kickoff opening for Biffy Clyro in Europe definitely takes the (birthday) cake. He’ll follow that with a major summer tour in America opening for Tori Amos. All dates solo.
Either way, the gift is yours — plenty of chances to see Bartees and experience the magic IRL:
— Jan 30–Feb 12 — with Biffy Clyro across Europe 🇪🇺
— Wed, Feb 25 — solo show at Old St Pancras Church, London
—July 7–Sept 2 — with Tori Amos across the U.S. 🇺🇸
