Magic Castles is back with a psychrock meets shoegaze sound on their refined new album, Realized. Realized takes a stroll through sun bleached dream-like melodies that give retro-paisley vibes that are wholly contemporary. Layers of lush guitars echo and reverberate while songwriter and band leader Jason Edmonds‘ hazy vocals resonate into the distant horizons. Realized is committed to a warm-analog feeling production throughout, drawing sounds from vintage organs, guitars run through tube amps and effects that are lush and always pleasing to the ear.
The vocals are the main melodic component of the songs and are recorded and produced with a balance of modern rock and vintage analog compressed tube driven sound. The mix and production on the vocal is always difficult in psych and shoegaze with the reverb and echo often pushing the vocals back in the mix. On Realized, Magic Castles and their team have threaded the needle for an impressive vocal sound that perfectly fits the mix and draws the listener in song after song.
Magic Castles signed with the well-know UK psych label Fuzz Club to release their latest album. Realized was released on April 24th 2026 on 180g hand-numbered ‘starburst’ edition limited to 350 copies which sold-out quickly and the standard 180g orange LP.
Realized was recorded in the best known rock studio in Minnesota, Pachyderm Studios, the same one used by Nirvana to record In Utero and Blue Bell Knoll run by the talented producer Neil Weir. The attention to detail and professionalism of these studios shines through on this album and appears to have captured Jason Edmounds‘ sonic vision for his new songs in phosphorescent brilliance.
The first single, ‘Abandoned Mansion‘ was released in March 2026 with a vintage styled music video which appears to be shot on film and is convincingly 1960s vintage. In fact, viewers will not be able to discern if the video is clipped from old movies or original footage. The song is gentle as a summers breeze. The glittering guitar lines are lush as velvet and chocolate. The drums and bass move the music forward without impeding on the glowing vocals. Edmounds‘ voice feels perfect in the mix, it is present while also having layers of reverb and echo for that beautiful shoegaze tone. The backing vocals have a chorus of voices singing, ‘ahh ahh‘ and well-timed guitar crescendos create dynamics through the song that are effective and capture the listeners attention. The instrumental sections bring the guitar to the forefront in sparkling set-in guitar runs. Overall, this is a song that can go on any beach and sun playlist.
The third and newest single from Realized, ‘Hey Alright‘ which is the opening track on the album and sets theme for all that follows. ‘Hey Alright‘ has a retro music video which is 80s themed. The song has a longer intro and more instrumental space then many tracks on the album easing the listener into the mood of the full-length LP. The voice is heavily echoing with dense reverb distorting the punctuation of the vocal for a cool wash of vocal sound. One of the guitars or maybe an organ is holding long sustained notes consciously so that the time effects don’t go out of control into oscillation. The main guitar line is echoing with each arpeggio repeated, ‘tat-tat-tat’ across time. The feel is like Velvet Underground collaborated with Allas-Las and BJM; a winning combination.
Magic Castles hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota with Jason Edmonds as the bands only original member, lead songwriter and driving force behind the band. Their first cassettes and CDs were released in 2008-2009 before catching the attention of A Recordings, the label run by Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre to released their 2012 self-titled album. The connection between Magic Castles and BJM continues up to this day with Magic Castles going on tour with BJM in 2012, 2022 and 2023. The two bands also released a split together for Record Store Day in 2014. BJM has devoted much effort to bring this talented bands music to new audiences.
Magic Castles sound has evolved over time but all of their albums have excellent tones and quality songwriting making them one of the best underground rock bands out of the talented Minneapolis music scene.
Magic Castles‘ prior album, Sun Reign (reviewed here by Pow Magazine Here: Magic Castle Sun Reign Album Review) was released in 2021 influenced by early Spiritualized albums and had one of its songs featured in the HBO series Succession. The Sun Reign album review goes deep into the Minneapolis music scene and all Edmounds‘ connections to side-projects and other musicians in the scene which will appeal to the archivists in the audience.
Jason Edmonds has released eight albums under Magic Castles over the last 16 years but has also been in several other short-lived projects that recorded excellent music including Dead Gurus and Erros Magicos. The Minneapolis music scene is tight and packed with talented songwriters and musicians. The economics of mid-western cities creates funding challenges for bands but offers many opportunities for collaboration and low paying opening slots for larger touring bands. It is exceedingly difficult to make a career as a musician in the mid-west with limited opportunities to break out relative to the West coast of the USA. These challenges keep artists like Magic Castles focused on their craft and their artistic vision rather then chasing the money.
Realized is one of the brightest chapters in the Magic Castles catalog and shows continued artistic evolution. The production, songwriting and overall feel of the album is excellent from start to finish. Every song is worthy of being a single while maintaining a cohesive and dynamic arch throughout the album. Realized is an accomplishment that is easy to enjoy and meant to be shared.
