Adult Magic

Although Adult Magic emerged from the Long Island D.I.Y. punk milieu, their alt-rock approach draws equally from early-'90s bands such as Superchunk and Sugar, a balance evident throughout the self-titled debut album they released in 2019.

Jesse Litwa on guitar and vocals, Mike Bruno on bass, and Chris Arena on drums formed the group near the close of 2015; each musician had previously appeared in several Long Island acts active in the local underground. Following an initial run of performances, the trio entered the studio in early 2016 to cut their first EP under the guidance of producer Phil Douglas, whose credits include Iron Chic, RVIVR, and Latterman. Additional live dates supporting Notches, Swim Team, and Slingshot Dakota preceded the mid-year release of that self-titled EP, which Dead Broke and Drunken Sailor later reissued on physical formats.

At the start of 2017 the band began demoing material for a full-length album while continuing to perform, including shows alongside Somerset Thrower and RVIVR. Because each member remained active in other projects, tracking stretched across the year, with final mixes completed only in 2018. Further live appearances followed until Dead Broke in the United States and Specialist Subject in the United Kingdom signed the group for the album’s release. Produced by Mike Bardzik, whose past work includes Joyce Manor and Hurry, the two-year-in-the-making Adult Magic appeared in mid-2019 after the advance track “Achin’.”