Ivan Ave steers Side Quest Living with the kind of loose grip that lets the path take its own shape. The record hovers, exhales, and then locks into moments with catch-fire focus. The beats - mainly produced by Sasac, DJ Chali, Ole Petter Oras Ålgård, and Ivan himself - hum like an old tube amp warming up. His words drift between self-examination and sideways glances at the world spinning outside the window. There’s an ease to it, but not without weight. Each track feels like a page ripped from Ivan Ave’s notebook—scrawled on the go and tucked away for later.
“Hello Hi Water” starts things off in a haze—conga drums tapping out a rhythm that barely has time to settle before waves of synthesizers wash through and warped guitar notes stretch out. Ivan’s words move with the tide, talking in circles, wishing the listener “many sons and daughters.” The whole thing feels like wading into water with the ground underfoot shifting.
Then “Ughhh (4 Sam)” kicks the door open, blinking against the bright light of the outside world. The drums thump heavy, the bass bubbles up, and Ivan raps like he’s pacing the room. Ave connects dots between ambition, exhaustion, and a world on fire. His defiance isn’t loud, but it is unshakable
“Life in the Simmy” follows. It's a cut smirks at the world’s nonsense, its groove clipped and synthetic and super proud of its cleanly programmed sheen. The beat sounds like a loop left running through the soundboard overnight - static settling in the corners, the whole thing just a tiny bit left of center. The hook repeats like an off-the-cuff mantra; a reminder that sometimes the only way to survive is to laugh at the BS of it all.
A quick interlude, “Side Quest Jingle,” slips in and out, like flipping past a commercial on the radio. Then “Pray Tell” slows everything down, floating on warm Fender Rhodes chords and warm voices that spill into your ears. It’s a quiet plea for understanding, for space to speak and be heard. “Lover’s Arms” picks up the thread, balancing between longing and motion. We find our boy caught between the neon lights ahead and the pitch-black wall in the rearview.
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The second half keeps shifting. The tune “Bike Air” feels weightless, gliding forward on airy pads of sound and thickset drums, while “Win Some” plants its feet in the dirt, counting losses over a slow, bluesy sway. “Riverbank Brothers” looks back, recalling old friendships and places left behind, warmth running underneath its forward march.
A voicemail from Byron the Aquarius crackles through “At the Same Time,” a moment of connection via an interlude. “Tulips” takes its time, pausing to notice the small things—the way beauty pushes through, even in the most unexpected places. By the time “Learjet” lands, the Side Quest Living feels like it’s coming to rest. And we're left exhaling after a long flight, unsure of the destination but definitely satisfied with the ride.
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