Six Years After the Magic Gang, Jack Kaye Debuts Solo With ‘Dora’

Jack Kaye has spent a long time away from the public side of music. The London songwriter, once the frontman of the Magic Gang, released his first solo single this week. ‘Dora’ arrives six years after the band he led split up, leaving behind two albums and a headline show at the Roundhouse.

The Magic Gang called it quits, and Kaye hit a wall. “I had writer’s block for a long time after the band broke up,” he said. “Wheels were spinning; I was trying to figure out what I was even doing musically.” The solution came when he stopped staring inward. He started writing about a friend’s relationship, stepping into a storytelling frame that loosened everything. “Once I got into that mindset, it became fun again and everything flowed.”

‘Dora’ is a slim, soulful guitar track, whimsical but not weightless. It carries a quiet touch that feels earned after a long silence, not forced. Kaye put it out through Fascination Street Records, a very low-key return that makes sense for someone who played an under-the-radar set at The Great Escape recently, testing the waters without much ceremony.

A Josh Cray-directed video accompanies the single. Kaye will headline The George Tavern in London on September 9th.