From the very first note, Stephen Chopek’s SPACE MAGNETS doesn’t wait for you to settle in. It moves quickly, pulls you in kindly but firmly, and suddenly you’re caught up in its orbit. These four songs don’t just play in the background—they sweep you forward in a way that feels both urgent and joyful. Released in September 2025 on Brooklyn-based label Declared Goods, the EP is equal parts spark, momentum, and experimentation.

Chopek calls this Granulist Music, a genre he coined to describe his process: “exploring the architecture of song.” On SPACE MAGNETS, Chopek performs all instruments and vocals, where form becomes fluid as polyrhythms ripple across layered pulses, and motifs revolve like shifting constellations. The music is sculpted carefully over time, yet it brims with spontaneity. Melodies and harmonies unfold as if they were discovering themselves in real time.

Each track pulls from a shared source while creating their own distinct worlds. “Now For Always” insists that renewal is constant—“New beginnings are eternal”—its bright insistence carrying the charge of love that refuses to fade. “They’re Listening” is playful in its tension, a hypnotic swirl of rhythm and voice that reframes paranoia with sly affection: “Surveillance is the international language of love.” “Hearts Running Wild” captures the romance of city nights—“The city is a room darkened for lovers”—with streetlights, echoes, and hearts in motion. And in “We Go From Here,” Chopek expresses one of his most powerful sentiments: “Time travels in all directions.” It’s a song about reflection, yes, but also about choosing to keep moving.

The cohesion of the EP is striking—like four squares sewn into the same quilt, distinct yet inseparable. Each piece carries a palpable energy, but never overwhelms; Chopek is meticulous about pacing, letting the listener feel both guided and free.

For Chopek, SPACE MAGNETS is also about growth. His previous release, Dweller (2021), was a lockdown album made in Memphis before his move to Atlanta. In the years since, he’s issued a string of singles, released two tribute EPs to Shane MacGowan, tested boundaries, and circled back to the sounds that first lit him up: The Cure, Pixies, New Order, Stereolab, 90s post-punk Chicago bands Tortoise, Isotope 217, minimalist composers like Reich and Glass, and West African drumming. All of that listening and absorbing has led here—music that blurs the line between songwriting and composition, that push forward without losing their warmth.

Chopek has been the drummer behind marquee names—Charlie Hunter, John Mayer, Jesse Malin, Mike Doughty, and many others—but SPACE MAGNETS is his own rocket, self-built and newly launched.

Words - Renée LoBue
Portrait - Matt diLeo