By Jenny Wallace
Arts & Entertainment

Musical duo The Imaginaries’ anticipated self-titled album is set to release on March 26, 2021. The group consists of husband and wife Shane Henry and Maggie McClure. With both on vocals, McClure plays piano and keyboard while Henry plays guitar.

This upcoming album is a new beginning for both McClure and Henry, as both had their own journeys prior as solo artists, having performed for John Cuniberti’s “OneMic” series. Originally planned to release in 2019, the duo’s debut album faced many setbacks.

Henry was struck with a serious illness that took a toll on him for months. Shortly after, McClure then had surgery which prevented her from singing for two months.  During this time, they worked to book shows for Spring/Summer 2020 to support their upcoming release, yet COVID-19 set them back again. Instead of letting the pandemic bring them down, The Imaginaries released three singles and videos.

The first song released, titled “Revival,” speaks of hope and salvation. “It came to be as a merging of three separate song ideas,” says McClure. “Our faith certainly has an impact on our lives and therefore our songwriting, so the themes of the song are complete with biblical references from ‘not storing up treasures on earth’ to the warnings of ‘the love of money’ with an adventurous undertone of spreading the good news.”

The American Songwriter calls the song, “smart with word play and rhyme scheme, and built for an audience anxious for a good call-and-response or catchy refrain to (eventually) belt at a live show.”

Along with “Revival,” The Imaginaries released “Walking On A Wire,” which deals with facing obstacles and pushing through. “Thinking ‘Bout You” is more acoustic and deals with long-distance love. 

B-Sides & Badlands refers to McClure as a songbird with vocals similar to a “siren-like enchantment.”

Despite the setbacks, the duo is ecstatic to release their first album, saying in a statement, “The recording experience was amazing, having had the opportunity to collaborate with so many incredibly talented individuals, and we are so proud to finally release this collection of songs.”

Curious fans can watch the documentary about the album for the Grand Casino Resort’s “Play It Loud” series HERE. Fans can also pre-order special signed copies of the album.

Learn more about The Imaginaries on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Spotify.