Madilyn Mei - “Side Quest Song”
Photo by Emily Kat Photo
From the USA, Madilyn Mei reveals her desire for romantic adventure in the striking indie folk track, “Side Quest Song.”
This track is founded around the gentle, supportive, and relaxed tones and texture of the ukulele, imbuing a light and airy atmosphere. The mood is wonderfully intimate and reflective. As the song progresses, the groove of the ukulele becomes more assertive, helping to draw you into the composition. Filling out the space are pulses of mellow, reverbed synths that melt soothingly into the arrangement or flares of synth strings and lead lines that guide you through the melodies. This not only enhances the dreamy and reflective mood, but also creates a rich, unusual fusion that pleasingly makes the track unique and engaging.
As “Side Quest Song” builds in intensity over key areas, strummed acoustic guitar is added to enhance the sense of drive. Arpeggiating banjo is also added as a lush, rootsy melodic counterpoint. While the track ebbs and flows towards its beautiful crescendo, a light drum groove is added, helping to lift the track to new, wistful heights. The vocal of Madilyn Mei is soothing, melodic and playful. The intimate delivery carries a beautiful sense of authenticity as it elegantly reaches light breathy and airy tones. The well-arranged backing vocals harmoniously support in all the right areas helping to make the track a thoroughly immersive listen.
Mei explains the lyrical meaning in more detail: “I love it when people make an event out of the small things. After all, life is your day to day, not just the few bigger moments throughout the year. Going to the grocery store, taking the dog for a walk, the odd jobs you have to work while trying to follow your real dream, spending the afternoon learning a new recipe, running an errand with a friend, helping out a stranger, the things you don’t even realize are important to the main “plot” till way afterwards. I look forward to life’s ‘side quests’ the most. It really is the journey you take and the friends you make, and I just hope to go on more meaningless yet meaningful adventures with them.”
“Side Quest Song” is a sonic treat full of rich textures that exquisitely draw you into the composition. This is the first song to be taken off Madilyn Mei’s forthcoming EP. Mei has also announced a 23-date coast-to-coast headlining US/CAN tour, dubbed the Side Quest Tour, with support from Portland (OR)-based singer-songwriter Sparkbird. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, May 8 at 12pm ET at madilynmei.com.