The Side Effects (stylised in all caps) is the sixth studio album by Japanese rock band Coldrain.

[4][5] The Side Effects is the second Coldrain album to be released by Warner Music Japan, the first being Fateless.

However, The Side Effects would fare much better on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart, as it would debut and peak at number 8, selling over 8,600 copies in its first week.

The Side Effects features a more experimental sound which incorporates vocal elements of rapping and electronica backgrounds, which is heard in songs like "Revolution", "The Side Effects", "Speak" and "Coexist" of which is typically heard in the metal subgenre nu metal.

[9] A few days after, Masato Hayakawa announced on his Instagram that he was entering the studio with the rest of the band to record new material which would be released later on in the year.

[1] Circulation quickly spread hype and buzz among fans and critics alike, to where the silence was broken with multiple photos and videos being shared on the band members social media accounts of them in the studio.

They finished recording at the end of February, and announced a new one man tour a few weeks later, as well as the title for the new album to be named "The Side Effects".

[14][15] Before the recording process, demos were sent to the producer Michael Baskette similarly to what the band did in advance for their 2017 predecessor Fateless.