photograph by John Charter
US dream-pop duo Magic Wands have released a brand new single, ‘Wishing Well’, today. With an insistent rhythm and swirling guitars, plus a vocal that adds to its hazy atmosphere, the song sounds like an immediate post-punk meets shoegaze classic.
“The lyric came to me when I was a guest of a guest at a wedding one summer,” explains vocalist Dexy Valentine. “There was an obvious sense of excitement at the event, but I didn’t really know anyone there so I snuck off outside and sat by a wishing well fountain and started writing on a napkin. When we came up with the music for this song I thought these words would fit perfectly.”
Co-written and produced by Dexy with her partner Chris Valentine, ‘Wishing Well’ is the title song of an EP scheduled for late April. It follows the January release of ‘Sacred Mirrors’, a collaborative single with Psychedelic Furs guitarist John Ashton STREAM | BANDCAMP, which itself had come after the autumn 2025 release of ‘Cascades’, the sixth Magic Wands album STREAM | BANDCAMP.
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Formed in Nashville by vocalists/guitarists Dexy and Chris Valentine, but now based in Los Angeles, Magic Wands are known for a shimmering, dreamy sound that melds elements of shoegaze, dream-pop, post-punk and goth. Their music utilises heavily textured guitars, synth drones and ethereal vocals to conjure an otherworldly atmosphere, plus song lyrics that are emotionally engaging.