New Music: Pops Magellan, UNSOLICITED JAMS
Brazilian bassist, composer, and producer Pops Magellan releases UNSOLICITED JAMS, a new EP reimagining music by Radiohead, The Chemical Brothers, and Parliament through instrumental arrangements, heavy grooves, psychedelic textures, and spontaneous improvisation.
Returning to music she connected with as a teenager, Magellan treats each song as a starting point rather than a blueprint, pushing familiar material into unexpected territory. The project brings together elements of funk, grunge, electronic music, and psychedelia, reflecting her approach to production, where the arrangement remains open to discovery.
The EP features Radiohead’s “National Anthem,” The Chemical Brothers’ “Go,” and a jam with Parliament’s “Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples”
“I wanted to revisit music I listened to in my teens that helped shape me, and experiment with it to see where I could take it. Playing these songs live and improvising is about the moment and what I can do with what I have. That’s how I bring psychedelia, funk, and grunge into my music.”
A standout moment is “Go,” The Chemical Brothers’ electronic hit reimagined as an instrumental performance. Magellan worked closely with legendary drummer Gordon Campbell, known for his work with Earth, Wind & Fire. During pre-production the two developed an arrangement that opens up the track’s iconic bass line, vocals, and electronic energy into an expansive instrumental psychedelic jam.
“The bass line and vocals on ‘Go’ are so iconic, and it was really fun to reimagine the song as an instrumental. Gordon and I worked on how to open it up for solos and improvisation while keeping the energy of the original. The outro ended up becoming its own tune.”
Recorded live in raw takes, UNSOLICITED JAMS preserves the spontaneity and unpredictability of musicians creating together in real time. Rather than cutting the performances down to conventional song lengths, Magellan lets the arrangements unfold naturally. Tracks stretch toward eight or nine minutes, giving the music room to build, shift direction, and find unexpected endings.
“I wanted to keep the performances real and let the jam take the time it needed. I wasn’t interested in cutting things just to make them shorter. You can take the ride or not. I really love what I hear in these recordings and can wait to see how it unfolds and influences my new album.”
The recordings also capture the chemistry of a band built around musicians who genuinely enjoy playing together. Guitarist Artur Menezes and keyboardist Collin Clauson appear throughout the EP. Drummer Henry McDaniel IV performs on Radiohead’s “National Anthem,” while Campbell plays on “Go” and “Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples.”
“National Anthem felt especially relevant to the political moment we’re living in. We plugged in and tore through the whole take like a storm. It felt like a moment where I could say everything I’d been feeling, almost like releasing all that pressure.”
For Magellan, UNSOLICITED JAMS builds on the musical world introduced in her debut EP DAMAGE, bringing together bass-driven instrumentals, psychedelic textures, soulful melodies, and improvisation, with a visual aesthetic that reflects the project’s experimental spirit and prepares her for the new album planned for next year.
UNSOLICITED JAMS arrives October 23, 2026, on all major streaming platforms. Magellan will celebrate the release with a live performance at The Baked Potato Jazz Club in Los Angeles on October 25.
Visit online at www.iampops.com
