Realism is the ninth studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields.

The song "The Dada Polka" is the only track to feature an electric guitar.

Merritt also avoided using a traditional drum kit, further separating the sound of Realism from the noise pop of Distortion.

Along with Distortion and the 2004 album i, Realism was also recorded without the use of synthesizers, completing the band's "no-synth trilogy".

[14][15] Joshua Rifkin, who arranged the Judy Collins albums In My Life and Wildflowers, was cited by Merritt as a creative influence for Realism.