Establishing with a pristine performance of the original’s iconic arpeggio riff, Magumbo opens his cover of Say Yes To Heaven with precision and the high emotional quotient of Lana Del Rey‘s cult single. For some background, the song was originally written for Lana’s album Ultraviolence, then it was meant to be released during the Honeymoon era, and then on Lust for Life, it was eventually canned until a leak went viral on TikTok, followed by an official release in 2023 solely to claim ownership of the song and sound in an official capacity.
Whilst the original is extremely stripped-back, Magumbo‘s cover adds dimensionality to the song with a shimmering energy. His beautifully produced vocals are polished, whilst the original is in all fairness a demo.
The passionate, 80s rock vibes is welcome. The cover builds with new bass riffs, textured rising drums and an almost head-banging, club-friendly approach. We are in awe. The song itself is a romantic ballad about unconditional love, intense longing, and submission. The song symbolizes finding paradise through devotion, with lyrics emphasizing patience, loyalty, and “saying yes” to a blissful and spiritual union. Magumbo‘s energy with this stadium-ready cover, epic guitar solos and a rockstar vibes is extremely dope.
We learn that Magumbo is a solo project built on spectacle and freedom. It is bold. It is playful. It is unapologetically fun. Created as the brainchild of Josh Gallagher, Magumbo was born after years of writing and touring for others. Magumbo is completely self directed across audio, visuals and film. All crafted with a hands on, analogue loving approach.
Needless to say, we are obsessed, and have added his cover of Lana Del Rey‘s Say Yes To Heaven to our New Music Spotlight playlist and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we anticipate future original releases from Magumbo!