Memphis-based rock band Magnum Dopus blends diverse influences from modern alt-rock/post-punk elements, and of course, the music from their hometown, to create a sound reminiscent of the early 1980s but firmly rooted in the modern music scene. The band’s thick grooves and lush guitars propel Andrew McCarty’s Morrison/Bowie-like baritone vocals and ethereal keyboards in songs about life, love, trauma, and the occasional lactating boy.

 

McCarty started Magnum Dopus in 2017 with guitarist George Cole, and in 2019, they released Hizumi, followed by Suburbanova in 2021 with drummer John Floyd. Following Cole’s departure, McCarty and Floyd recruited guitarist Jason Ford and bassist Hallie Allen for the EP Oddly Satisfying. Patrick O’Daniel replaced departing Allen in 2024, marking a shift towards a heavier sound.

 

In 2025, the band teamed with veteran recording engineer Matt Qualls for their self-titled Magnum Dopus. The album features a diverse range of songs from the melancholy pop sound of "Teenage Crush" to the danceable "You Wanted Action…You Got It!" to the thundering "Bleeding Heart". With the success of the newest album, Magnum Dopus has established themselves as one reviewer wrote, “as a unique juxtaposition between dreamy, melancholic vocals and spacey musical accompaniments on the one hand, and funky, bad-ass vibes on the other.”