“Make Up Your Mind” acts like a nonstop attack. Blare it loud enough and it’s impossible not to move. Play it soft enough and you may think your record player is stuck. This fun and funky song is only broken into parts by the creepy synthesizer and occasional break in lyrics. The presence of the well-placed, short-hitting verses, however, makes the uninterrupted backbeat mesmerize you like a trance — a sentiment perfectly captured in the terrifying music video that features the lead singer terrorizing numerous scantily clad women through some type of evil sorcery. As the first single off the recently released LP A Different Ship, “Make Up Your Mind” certainly contains all of the group’s powerful on-stage energy.
Here We Go Magic have made a name for themselves by cranking out one live performance after another. An exhaustive tour schedule in past years has included numerous major festivals and billed the group with or against dozens of the world’s biggest acts. Touring with such bands as Grizzly Bear, Broken Social Scene, White Rabbits, the New Pornographers, and the Walkmen has led to an increase in name recognition and the eventual addition of a big name producer.
Initially the stage name of front man Luke Temple, Here We Go Magic now refers to a quintet production. A Different Ship credits Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich as its own and according to reports, it’s due to their live performances that the union was first formed. One such show during the 2010 Glastonbury Festival was dubbed Thom Yorke’s favorite of the weekend, and the connection led to an album the Brooklyn-based band hopes will only add to their already strenuous travel schedule. No matter the venue, Here We Go Magic seems to leave listeners in a trance.