Jacob Turnbloom Shares New Single 'Ray's Occult'

SoCal artist Jacob Turnbloom is sharing his second single for Dangerbird Records Microdose Series. "Ray's Occult" is a brooding, simmering fever dream that finds Turnbloom rejecting modernity.

He explains "I had the title in my head before the song was ever written, so it started off as a sort of strange tribute to Ghostbusters 2, and Bobby Brown's single 'On Our Own,' which is one of my favorite New Jack Swing songs. The subject matter is a loose commentary on Silicon Valley garbage like The Metaverse. I'd rather play with a slinky or draw pictures of dinosaurs than live next door to my favorite celebrity in some stupid digital playground."

Last month, he shared the sun-soaked, harmony-laced "Balboa Park", an ode to his hometown of San Diego.

For many artists, the decision to turn toward more creative freedom means meandering into formless freak-outs, ambient psychedelia, or some kind of synth pop experiment. Not so for Jacob Turnbloom, leader and principal songwriter of beloved SoCal fuzz pop purveyors Mrs Magician.

Additional forays with The Grave Walks, Blessure Grave, First Wave Hello, and many other bands have provided Turnbloom with ample opportunity to refine a signature style of caustic yet sentimental garage pop prowess. But Turnbloom's newest solo endeavors find him forging a different path, fully embracing melody and earnest, simple songs.

Jacob recorded "Balboa Park", along with a whole album, in a tiny corner of his apartment during the pandemic. He dove into producing his own music and developing his musical ideas from concept to completion. Writing and playing everything, the process was sometimes lonely, while the results reveal clearly that his time was well spent. In them we hear a songwriter definitively raising his abilities, growing in isolation, and offering a couple of singalongs that could play a small role in bringing us all back together someday.

Listen to the new single here: