The Aces are back to set pulses racing with their most confident single yet, 'The Magic'. Check out the latest cover story for our New Music Friday playlist edit, PLAY.

Words: Stephen Ackroyd.

In the heat of a Dallas afternoon, The Aces are currently gearing up for yet another electrifying performance. Probably. We'll level with you, Dear Reader - we aren't actually there with boots on the ground, the budget wouldn't stretch to flights to the good ol' U-S-of-A, but they have a well-known habit for This Kind Of Thing. The alt-pop quartet, currently on tour supporting Goth Babe, are riding high on the release of their latest song, 'The Magic' – a track that marks a bold new chapter in their musical odyssey.

"It's one of the first songs that we wrote after the I've Loved You For So Long tour," explains Cristal Ramirez, the band's lead vocalist and guitarist. "We kind of went into the studio, and we just wanted to write a sexy kind of 'it' couple anthem."

This desire to create something unapologetically confident comes as part of a shift for the Utah-born band. Known for their introspective lyrics and ear for an alt-pop bop, The Aces have spent the better part of a decade honing their craft. With 'The Magic', though, they've embraced a more assertive, playful sound. It's a strutting, disco ball bowling serve - something undeniably different but also inescapably brilliant.

"We wanted to give ourselves and other queer people an anthem for being the power couple in the room or being in the cool friend group," Ramirez continues. "Just that anthem that's going to give you that confidence, make you feel like you're the shit, make you feel sexy, make you and your partner feel sexy."