McKinley Dixon Unveils New Album ‘Magic, Alive,’ Shares ‘Sugar Water’

McKinley Dixon goes searching for miracles on his forthcoming album Magic, Alive!, set for release on June 6. The record will explore the question of magic in all of its unexpected manifestations, even the ones that aren’t typically described with the lightness of the world, like grief. Dixon recruited Quelle Chris and Anjimile to help bring the first glimpse into Magic, Alive to life with “Sugar Water.”

“‘Sugar Water’ is a discussion on how to make fleeting moments last forever, and how to carry those not here with you through time and space,” Dixon shared in a statement. “It raises the question ‘whats the price to pay for an eternal life lived through others memories?”

Magic, Alive! will mark the musician’s first full-length LP since 2023’s Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?, which similarly explored the mythology of modernity. Dixon recorded the record in Richmond, Virginia, something of a homecoming that put the lives of everyone around him into perspective. “It’s like a celebration when I make a record back in Richmond,” he said. “Everybody has grown, but now here we are together again.”

Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? also poked at the idea of grief, with additions like “Tyler, Forever” about the death of a friend. “Now that he’s gone, are these memories even real?’ You second-guess what really happened in your life a lot when you don’t have somebody to be like, ‘I remember those times as well,’” Dixon told Rolling Stone in 2023. “‘Tyler, Forever’ is about the memories that you do have that you know regardless cannot really change.”

Magic, Alive! Tracklist:
“Watch My Hands”
“Sugar Water” (Feat. Quelle Chris and Anjimile)
“A Crooked Stick” (Feat. Ghais Guevara and Alfred.)
“Recitatif” (Feat. Teller Bank$)
“Run, Run, Run Part II”
“We’re Outside, Rejoice!”
“All The Loved Ones (What Would We Do???)” (Feat. ICECOLDBISHOP and Pink Siifu)
“F.F.O.L.” (Feat. Teller Bank$)
“Listen Gentle”
“Magic, Alive!”
“Could’ve Been Different”(Feat. Blu & Shamir)