Britt Witt on December 8th, 2014

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Magic Giant is just what you would expect when you hear they hail from Venice Beach. Upright bass? Check. Fiddle? Check. Banjo? Yep, they’ve got that, too. The high-energy folk-pop quartet, who did the October residency at the Bootleg HiFi, don’t just want to move your body, they want to move your soul, finding inspiration in their motto, “You don’t have to be big to be a giant.” Their debut single, “Glass Heart,” is an earnest sunburst of banjo-guided, foot-stomping folk with pop harmonies and an electronic whirl that strives for a contemporary fit. Paired with trombone pulses, Austin Bis on lead vocals manifests a constructive attitude singing, “Everybody sings songs of misery / Making their mistakes while they make history / Let’s make history.” Bis’ falsetto hooks may not trend through their forthcoming self-recorded EP, but it does feature guests Rashawn Ross of the Dave Matthews Band and Spencer Ludwig of Capital Cities.

||| Stream: “Glass Heart”

||| Live: Magic Giant plays Jan. 15 at the Mark Taper Forum as part of a poetry slam session with IN-Q.