This past Thursday night, LA pop duo Magdalena Bay headlined their first ever Chicago show to a sold out crowd at Lincoln Hall, in honor of their debut album Mercurial World.

Cecile Believe warmed up the packed house with her electropop tunes that perfectly complemented the musical styling of Magdalena Bay. Cecile performed her set with a backing DJ and minimal other gear, but she awed the crowd with a magnetic performance and interpretive dance moves that accentuated her songs. Many of the audience members enthusiastically soaked up her songs, particularly the fan favorite “Bitch Bites Dogs.” If you’re a fan of Caroline Polachek and FKA Twigs, you should definitely check out Cecile Believe.

Eager energy pent up throughout the venue during Cecile’s set, and the release of that euphoric energy was palpable when Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin of Magdalena Bay hit the stage to perform their set. The show began with a Y2K-era style graphic appearing on the background screen and a robotic narration to introduce the band, which essentially felt like the band’s website for Mercurial World had been brought to life.

The set began with the introductory track from the album ironically entitled “The End,” which features Tenenbaum’s philosophical musings. From there, the duo quickly launched into the record’s title track and played out the setlist in the precise order of the album’s tracklist. Magdalena Bay’s mesmerizing stage presence and immersive stage props gave their show an air of a blast from the past— Tenenbaum’s microphone headset gave me flashbacks to those Britney Spears used in the 90’s and early aughts. That tinge of nostalgia added to the sense of escapism that Magdalena Bay was providing to their fans, who were all dancing and screaming along to the lyrics.

When the time came for the last song of the record called “The Beginning” (again—ironic), the robotic narrator returned to instruct the audience to cheer for an encore. Tenenbaum and Lewin obliged and returned to perform some of their earlier material, like the singles “Killshot'“ and “Good Intentions.” The show ended with the entire room jumping up and down on Tenenbaum’s command.

If you missed out on the show, check out our photo recap below, and see where you can catch Magdalena Bay next here.