Iintroducing DOS (pronounced “doss”), the album, which composer for games, audio designer, and saxophonist Steve Pardo has also developed into an isometric music-driven platformer game.

DOS, the album, is instrumental and cinematic in nature, rooted in the jazz tradition, and consisting of influences spanning indie rock, electronic music, ambient, and classical musics. It is patient, evolving, melodic, and curious. It consists of seven songs written by game composer Steve Pardo during a season of his and his family’s move from Boston to Nashville in late 2018, being a season of change and with a spirit of adventure and hope. It was ultimately finished years later, being recorded, produced, and completed in 2022 with the help of engineer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Jon Estes. Steve Pardo performs on woodwinds, guitars, keys, synths, and FX, as well as Mike Baggetta on electric guitar and FX, Jon Estes on guitars and bass, and Brian Fitch on drums. Special guests include Liz Estes on violin, and Amy Pardo on flute.

DOS, the game, is a short, single-player, beat-based platformer with a bit of puzzle solving, adventure game mechanics, and subtle narrative. You play as a cube with eyes that blink, where every song on the album is presented as a level of the game; a play-through of the game is just as long as the seven-song album (if played through quickly). It is a story told as an adventure, simple enough for anyone to pick up and play, with just a touch of reactive challenges along the way, letting the music take center-stage.

DOS is the debut project to be released by the indie game development studio The Pardo Brothers, which was co-founded by Steve and Jonathan Pardo in 2019.