Soundtrack Saturday: Death Stranding

In this weekly feature, I recommend game soundtracks. I share a few of my favorite tracks, talk about why everyone should listen to the soundtrack, and a little bit about the composer. This week's choice is Death Stranding by Kojima Productions.

THE STATS

Name: Death Stranding
Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: November 8, 2019
Genres: Action
Composer(s): Ludvig Forssell

MY FAVORITE TRACKS

(The titles link to YouTube videos... and I highly recommend some good headphones to best enjoy all of the subtle elements of the music!)

Note: The full soundtrack is ecclectic-ish. I chose to share the ones that really stood out to me, but you should totally check out the rest. Be warned, though -- some tracks are explicit! (But not the ones I shared.)


Death Stranding - CHVRCHES
(Length: 5:18) "What will become of us now at the end of time?"
I like the percussion in this more than any other element. It reminds me of -- surprisingly? -- the sound of some Christian rock. Make of that what you will!

Born In The Slumber - Flora Cash
(Length: 3:32) "What if we held on? What if we stood strong?"
Something about this one is haunting and compelling, somewhere between the post apocalyptic lyrics, instrumental choices, and noise distortions used. Sound quality alone got this one on the Timefall soundtrack.

Sing to Me - MISSIO
(Length: 3:09) "Sing to me -- I am not doing well."
The lyrics very aptly describe something with internal struggles, and the instrumental background sounds like a cross between a few different tracks from the Suicide Squad movie album (notably "Heathens" and "Sucker for Pain"). Going for the I'm-beyond-hope gangster vibe maybe? No complaints -- this one definitely earned a spot on the Timefall soundtrack, too.

Asylums For the Feeling - Silent Poets
(Length: 7:09) "I find my own completeness, the darkness and the weakness..."
If you sat down and read just the lyrics to this, you'd think it was some kind of repetitive modern poetry. It is the application of the musical elements and vocals that transform it into something singularly beautiful. To me, it talks about the necessity of needing others, but also being strong on our own. I could be entirely wrong -- that's the great thing about musical interpretation!

BB's Theme - Ludvig Forssell, Jenny Plant
(Length: 5:16) "And I won't wake before you go..."
People talked about this one. I get it now. This is the best one. THE BEST.

You can listen to the full soundtrack on Spotify: 

Death Stranding OST

WHY I RECOMMEND IT

If you noticed, there were all kinds of different musicians listed among the tracks I shared. There are even MORE if you listen to the whole soundtrack. My husband bought and played a good chunk of this game, and I've seen nothing but great reviews about it -- with many perspectives! I'd been told by several people about the soundtrack, and it's just... it is a collection of sounds and musicians without any one definitive style for me to label it. I imagine it plays well with the experience that is the game itself. Trying to explain the game would just... not do it any justice. It's more than it appears on the surface. I direct you to the best review I've had the pleasure of experiencing, over on YouTube by Girlfriend Reviews. (If you ever read this, Shelby -- I'm a fan. Hi. Wanna be friends?)

Why is there no section about Ludvig Forssell, the composer for the game? Well... it looked like a giant collaboration and amalgamation to me. Feel free to call me out on this if I'm wrong!

You can take my heart

And hold it together as we fall apart

Maybe together, we can make a mark in the stars, we embark

And keep us together as the lights go dark...