Brighton-based Opal Mag has been steadily building momentum over the past year, emerging as a standout among the UK’s new wave of guitar-leaning songwriters. Drawing from the likes of Mazzy Star, The Sundays, The Breeders and The Smashing Pumpkins, her sound blends dreamy textures with an unfiltered emotional core.
Now signed to Venn Records and heading into the release of her debut EP ‘Goodbye Lavender’, Opal Mag is stepping into a defining moment. Across six tracks, the record charts the fallout of a relationship that couldn’t be held together, alongside the slow process of pulling yourself back into focus.
Right now, life looks a little more practical than poetic. “I'm at home packing and decluttering all my things - all the fun of moving house!” she says, currently surrounded by boxes rather than guitars. It's a sentence that has never once been said without at least a hint of sarcasm.
Music has always been part of her life. "My parents love music, and my dad plays the piano and wrote songs when he was growing up. My brother is also a musician and creative, so we were lucky to have instruments in the house and music always playing."
That environment made creative exploration feel natural, and her first attempt at songwriting came early. "It was for a music video my brother, some kids of family friends, and I were making for fun. We used to make videos all the time and then make little songs to go with them. This one was called 'Love to Know You' - what 9-year-old me's very limited understanding of love was, haha." The concept that hasn’t exactly become straightforward since.
Sharing her work didn't come easily at first. "I used to be very shy about showing people my ideas. I always felt I needed someone else to start the idea, and then I'd come in with a top line and lyrics." Over time, that shifted. "It feels really rewarding to create something completely from your own mind. I mainly just started as someone who loved singing and performing, which led to writing my own songs very slowly."
Brighton remains central to both day-to-day life and the creative process. "I live in coffee shops mainly," she says, before adding, "but outside of that I love places like Pink Moon - especially in the summer, or a pub called The Oak, who are doing some really fun things right now." A city where creative circles overlap easily also means community is never far away: Brighton, where you can't move for someone in a band (and if you stand still too long, you might accidentally join one). "I feel like it's impossible not to at least know of every other musician in the city, it's such a small town! Big Long Sun, Ladylike and Batmilk are doing some cool things."
