Release Date: 3 April 2026
Song Count: 9
Duration: 43 minutes, 54 seconds
Rating: 6.8/10
Description:
Song Count: 9
Duration: 43 minutes, 54 seconds
Rating: 6.8/10
Description:
A brand new release on the same day! The mysterious synthwave trio from Boise, Idaho is back with another swing, the Keeper, Seer and Weaver all going on a secondary quest - as the title may suggest - with Side Quest: A B-Sides Adventure. Having hit the front of the page once before, the band graces their audience once more with their distinctive production style and combination of electric guitars with digital sounds, this time also incorporating some additional details that differ from the set norms of their music. Along for the ride for certain tracks this time is Skylimit, an indie pop artist from the same city, lending his skills and adding his own sonical touch whenever he is involved, including adding entire vocals to "Rise" and "New Age", a great novelty for the discography of a band like Magic Sword mainly known for making completely instrumental music.
This conjoining of forces, together with a room much freer for musical experimentation in general, lead to some tracks that both channel in the band's strengths in performance and production and reinvents the wheel in a way that ignites sparks of novelty and curiosity. Compared to out previously reviewed work, Badlands, this album doesn't seem to bind itself onto a set narrative told through its music, rather broadening its horizons and acting more like a playground for an evolution of a style cooking up than an experience with a direct mission or vision. There further seems to be a subtle yet impactful difference in the way every groove and kick of the beat is handled; a far more prominent sense of "riding the waves" can be found here as the album embraces its less smoothed out and more rhythm-driven sound - though not directly comparable in style in any way, at parts it almost reminded me of some classic dubstep tracks and the way they also let their grooves play out very organically.
Admittedly, after having any and all sorts of expectation get completely blown out of the water previously by Magic Sword, Side Quest: A B-Sides Adventure has not quite managed to impress on nearly the same level, in spite of its quality in output. The tracks, whilst pleasant and at times quite novel, do lose their zing after a few of them have passed by, and the memorability of the encompassing album ends up suffering as a result. This is not to say, however, that the band, along with Skylimit and MALO remixing one of their tracks, did anything short of a solid job with their newest creation, and if the direction this music is going towards can be refined further in the future, they most certainly could have a winning ticket in their hands. A decent work overall, even if outclassed by what came prior to it.