Tag: Music - Page 2
Interview How Game Composers Are Coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic
A smattering of guests
Recently, we had the uniquely exciting opportunity to have a chat with a handful of composers around the industry. Some of them are folks we’ve talked to before, but some are brand new faces! We opted to cover a unique and rather pressing topic this time out -- the ongoing worldwide pandemic. More specifically, the impact...
Interview Maintaining Our Humanity with Disintegration Composer Jon Everist
Man vs. machine
We recently had the chance to chat with Jon Everist, composer of V1 Interactive’s curious hybrid of RTS and third-person shooter: Disintegration. We got to discuss the balancing act between these two genres, the rather heart-breaking passing of music legend Ennio Morricone, and the struggle to maintain humanity amidst a synthetic...
Feature Best Playstation Music of June 2020
The month we’ve all been waiting for
June was a very big month for Playstation, seeing the launch of one of the most hotly anticipated sequels of not just the generation, but maybe all time. The Last of Us is kind of a big deal, and the music is a big part of that. But there were some other really great soundtracks that dropped this month too!...
News Naughty Dog Acknowledges Inspiration for The Last of Us 2 Commercial's Song
Ironically stolen from her album Stolen
Update: Naughty Dog's vice president Neil Druckmann has admitted that it took inspiration from Lotte Kestner's cover of True Faith for The Last of Us: Part II's commercial. Writing on Twitter, he said: "Due to an oversight on our end, she wasn't credited as intended. Our deep apologies, we are rectifying this...
Interview Bringing Some Humanity to Fallout 76 with Composer Inon Zur
Appalachia's changed
Bethesda's pseudo-MMO, always-online world Fallout 76 has had, to put it mildly, a rough time of things. Releasing to catastrophically poor reviews, the game slowly worked its way back to something more closely resembling mediocrity. However, underneath all that was the bedrock of Fallout's amazing-as-ever music, courtesy of...
Feature Best Playstation Music of May 2020
Slim pickings
May was a rather sparse month when it comes to noteworthy soundtracks. Sure, June probably has a surefire masterpiece in Gustavo Santaolalla‘s score for The Last of Us: Part II, but what about the here and now? Well, we have a soundtrack from one of gaming’s most prolific and supremely talented composers, but not very much else...
News Tetris Effect's Gorgeous Soundtrack Is Available to Purchase and Stream Now
Yours forever
Many scoffed when Tetris Effect was announced, but it turned out to be an incredible iteration of the classic falling-block puzzler. It's a brilliant audiovisual experience whether you're playing on PlayStation VR or your TV, and that's in no small part thanks to the wonderful music. Each of the dreamy stages in the game is accompanied...
News Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 Soundtrack Won't Bring the Noise
But it's still a superman
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 will not include Anthrax and Public Enemy’s legendary duet Bring the Noise, as its one of five songs from the original two titles that Activision couldn’t secure for the remaster. Every other track, however – including Superman by Goldfinger and Blood Brothers by Papa Roach – will be...
Interview Hacking and Yacking About Darksiders Genesis with Composer Gareth Coker
Angels & demons
Up next in our ongoing series of composer interviews, composer Gareth Coker stops to chat with us about one of his newest projects, the score for the latest Darksiders title, Genesis. We talk about getting the tone of the game just right while doing something new, how demonic dubstep found its way into the series, and what on earth a...
Feature The Best Playstation Music of April 2020
A return to Midgar, and also some other places
Well, that’s another month done and dusted, yeah? We had at least one absolutely massive release, quite a few years in the making. We are, of course, talking about Construction Simulator 3. Oh, and there was some game from Square Enix, that just a handful of people have been talking about. Final...
News DOOM Developer Ditches Composer Amid Public Spat
Gordon grief
DOOM developer id Software has confirmed that it’s parted ways with composer Mick Gordon, amid a very public social media spat. The fallout came to the fore when an audio engineer posted an image of the waveforms from one of the songs on DOOM Eternal’s soundtrack. It showed a heavily compressed profile, with a less dynamic sound...
Feature The Best PS4 Music of March 2020
Rip and tear these sick beats
The new month is finally hear! Ahem. The Doom Slayer is back to rip and tear his way through heaven and hell, and that means more amazing music. But let's not get too starstruck -- a few other noteworthy games dropped in March too, and those included some great soundtracks! Let's take a look. DOOM Eternal: While the...
Feature The Best Playstation Music of February 2020
Let’s do it again
Coming hot off the heels of the start of a new decade – and a good month for game music at that – we have a new selection of titles that brought a little something extra to the table when it comes to music as the 2020 release schedule creeps closer towards heating up. Hunt: Showdown: While the soundtrack isn’t terribly...
Feature The Best PS4 Music of January 2020
New decade, new music
Wow, 2019 just flew by, huh? Lots of incredible games released, and brought amazing music with them. And looking ahead, we have many more reasons to be excited. The new decade brings with it a new console generation, but not before the PS4 has one last hurrah. Let’s check out the best new PlayStation music of January!...
News Sonic Movie Gets Theme Song and Retro Music Video from Wiz Khalifa
Speed Me Up
The world is now only three weeks away from the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, and we'd by lying if we said we weren't excited. Whether it's a train wreck or surprisingly good, we can't wait to see the reactions to this flick -- especially given the reaction to the first trailer that led to Sonic getting a revised look. The film is back on...
News Death Stranding Band Low Roar Saved by PS4 Game
I'll keep coming
Icelandic band Low Roar was apparently “in the gutter” when it received a mysterious email from Sony requesting the use of its song ‘I’ll Keep Coming’. The track eventually backdropped Death Stranding’s reveal trailer, and would go on to catapult the group’s popularity, but initially they weren't told where the audio...
Interview Looting Some Answers from Borderlands 3 Composer Jesper Kyd
Back for more
In our ongoing series of composer interviews here at Push Square we get some insight into the music that goes into making games the great experiences that they can be. A couple months ago, we interviewed Brian Trifon and Brian Lee White (collectively Finishing Move LLC) about their work scoring Borderlands 3. As it turns out, we...
Game of the Year The 10 Best PlayStation Soundtracks of 2019
Pitch perfect
The end of the year brings with it another in a countless line of year-end lists, this time focusing on the incredible music that graced the PlayStation this year. As with all years, a few amazing soundtracks were left on the cutting room floor – Kingdom Hearts III, Ghost Giant, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – but what we wound up...
Interview Getting Our Head on Straight with the Composers of MediEvil
Spooky scary skeletons
Next up in our ongoing series of composer interviews, we have the esteemed company of MediEvil composers Andrew Barnabas and Paul Arnold. They were the composing duo for the original release back in 1998, and we'll discuss how it felt to return to such a long-dormant property, why a new dynamic click track had to be made, as...
Feature The Best PS4 Music of November 2019
One last push
Another new month brings with another slate of titles, and with that, more music. This month we had an absolute goldmine, including some best of the year frontrunners both big and small, as well as a few other pretty fantastic scores. What are you waiting for? Let’s dive in. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order: The music of a galaxy...
Feature The Best PS4 Music of October 2019
Jam packed
October was a busy month both for releases and game music in general. Let's dive in with five of PlayStation 4's best soundtracks of last month. The Bradwell Conspiracy: Kicking things off, we have yet another score from Push Square’s favourite, Austin Wintory. Is anyone keeping count? This must be his tenth time on these lists this...
Feature Best PS4 Music of September 2019
The home stretch
What's one more month passed without a new music recap? Things have been ramping up for a while now, and with some big releases starting to trickle down with yet more to come, September might have been the strongest month of the year for music. Let’s hop in. Greedfall: We’ve started noticing the music of Olivier Derivière...
Interview Taking the Hiss with Control Composer Petri Alanko
< We expect/desire conversation about music/audio >
Recently, we got the chance to chat with composer Petri Alanko, Remedy Entertainment’s go-to for a number of years now. We talked to him about his working with Martin Stig Andersen on Control, why burning instruments was an important part of the process, and which GPU company ended up leading to...
News Artists and Tracks Confirmed for Death Stranding's Companion Album, Timefall
Hear the first song now
From all that we've seen, Death Stranding seems to be leaning in on licensed music, so it's no surprise that an album is in the works. Death Stranding: Timefall was announced a while ago, but in case you aren't aware, it's a standalone collection of original music inspired by Hideo Kojima's latest. Today, Sony has revealed...
News The Last of Us Soundtrack Gets Remixed in Gorgeous Tribute Album
Available now
The Last of Us was an incredible PlayStation 3 title for a number of reasons, and one of those is its superlative soundtrack. The sombre, string-heavy music, composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, perfectly runs parallel to the emotional journey embarked upon by Joel and Ellie. He's set to produce the soundtrack to The Last of Us: Part II as...
Feature Best PS4 Music of August 2019
Rollin' down the river
What does another month mean but more music to recap! As the year begins to wind down already, August offered up a pretty impressive slate of titles to love. A little bit of everything too -- some bigger titles, some smaller. So let’s jump in. Erica: To open the newest recap, we open with someone who is no stranger to...
Interview Making Sweet Music with Borderlands 3 Composers Finishing Move
Ain't no rest for the wicked
Recently we got the chance to talk with Brian Lee White and Brian Trifon - collectively known as Finishing Move - to talk about their work scoring Gearbox's upcoming looter shooter, Borderlands 3. Read on to see what it's like to join a series so far along, seeing how many genres of music is "too many", and what brought...
Interview Hitting the High Notes of Mortal Kombat 11's Soundtrack with Wilbert Roget II
Toasty!
After having a conversation with composer Wilbert Roget II a couple of years back about his work scoring Call of Duty: WWII, we're pleased to welcome him back for a new interview. The topic of conversation this time out is centred on his work for one of the longest standing, and much beloved, fighting series in the industry. Mortal Kombat 11...
News New Control Video Reunites Remedy and Poets of the Fall
Moments before the storm
One of the recurring motifs in Remedy's games for a number of years now has been its inclusion of music by Finnish rock band Poets of the Fall. Starting with 2003's – wow, that's a long time ago – Max Payne 2, Poets have featured on every Remedy game going forward. The exception is Xbox exclusive Quantum Break, but there...
Feature Best PlayStation Music of July 2019
Bouncing back
As the follow-up to a month that featured the fewest entries since the inception of the series, we see more of a return to normalcy, as July offered up an absolute torrent of great music. Ranging from smaller games, to larger - possibly even maligned - titles, we had a bit of everything this month. Dragon Quest Builders 2: First on...
News Streets of Rage 4 Will Feature Original Music from Yuzo Koshiro and Many More
Soundtrack created by many Japanese composers
From what little we've seen of Streets of Rage 4, it seems to be shaping up very nicely indeed. However, for fans of the classic SEGA series, a huge part of the appeal is the music. Japanese composer Yuzo Koshiro is often solely credited for creating the beloved sound the games are known for, and there's...
Feature Best PlayStation Music of June 2019
The rut deepens
While June 2019 may have the fewest entries in a given month since we started doing this series, the silver lining is that the two entries in question are really good. One is one of the best scores from one of our favourite composers in the industry and the other is something wholly different: a great score from a game this author...
Guide CTR Nitro-Fueled - How to Switch to Original Music Soundtrack
How to listen to the old CTR music
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is a stunning remake of a PSone classic that updates the sounds as well as the visuals. All the music from the original CTR has been overhauled for the modern take on the game, and it sounds great. However, if you're feeling nostalgic, there's a way to listen to the original music as...
News Blood & Truth's Grime Soundtrack Gets a Vinyl Release
Scratch and shoot
Vinyl is back in vogue, and any game with a half-decent soundtrack tends to get a record release these days. Case in point: cockney crime caper Blood & Truth is bringing its orchestral-cum-grime tunes to a turntable near you, courtesy of Black Screen Records. Available to pre-order now ahead of an August shipping date, the...
Feature Best PlayStation Music of May 2019
Mid-year rut?
The dawn of a new month brings with it a new assortment of great game music, and May of 2019 continues the trend of seeing a smattering of really great soundtracks. Just because the music in a game such as Bubsy: Paws on Fire was able to approximate insanity, that doesn’t mean the entire month was a dead zone. Quite the contrary in...
News Sony Creating Death Stranding Album Filled with Original Music
All-new songs inspired by Kojima's latest
Hideo Kojima’s been eager to spotlight underground artists like Low Roar and Apocalyptica with Death Stranding’s various trailers over the years, and it looks like he’s been given the opportunity to collaborate with both Sony Interactive Entertainment and Sonic Music Entertainment on a full-length...
News Sony Music Artists Will Bring Original Songs to First-Party Games
Company also keen on PSVR crossover content
Sony is still eager to unify its various divisions, with PlayStation Productions an example of this. The new media-focused unit is part of Sony Interactive Entertainment, but it will leverage experience from Sony Pictures to bring PlayStation properties to both the small and big screen. According to...
Feature Best PS4 Music of April 2019
Rollin' on
Last month’s slate of PlayStation soundtracks was filled with some pretty notable titles, like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Devil May Cry 5, but also some really good smaller soundtracks, like the curious Beat Cop. The offering of quality music from April isn’t quite as varied, but that’s not to say there was no good music. You...
Interview Freaking Out with Days Gone Composer Nathan Whitehead
This music comes for you
Love it or hate it, Sony’s biggest new exclusive Days Gone has had a downright terrific launch, coming hot out of the gates. We recently got the chance to chat with the title’s composer Nathan Whitehead about his work, and his first time as lead composer on a video game. Push Square: One of Day’s Gone’s most...
Feature Best PS4 Music of March 2019
March on, march on, march on
Another month gone brings with it a number of new releases, including some fairly highly anticipated titles, including one from a certain Japanese dev. And as usual, many of these titles brought some really great music along for the ride, so let’s dive into what those standouts are. Beat Cop: Pixel Crow’s curious...
Feature Best PS4 Music of February 2019
The hot steak continues
After a hot start to year for gaming, both from a music and release standpoint, is there any hope that February can continue the trend? The answer is more or less a “yes” as it just happens. While there may have been fewer soundtrack releases of note, the ones that did come out are particularly special. So let’s hop in!...
News You Can Stream Days Gone's Theme Song on Spotify
Hell or high water
Did you enjoy the song in the new Valentine’s Day themed Days Gone trailer at all? Well, it’s now available for streaming on Spotify – or your preferred music delivery service, of course. The country rock song is called Hell or High Water, and it’s been written and performed by singer songwriter Billy Raffoul. In case you...
Feature Best PS4 Music of January 2019
Musical resolutions
It’s the top of the New Year, and you know what the means! That’s right, it’s time for the first musical recap of the year. And boy was January ever a strong month. The first month has been turning itself into quite the juggernaut these past few years, and 2019 is no exception. There were some pretty monumental releases,...
News Fortnite Hosted a Marshmello Concert and 10 Million People Turned Up
Don't go look at me with that look in your eye
Need a reminder of your mortality? Electronic musician Marshmello played a concert in Fortnite over the weekend, and over 10 million people rocked up to experience it. As you can imagine, there were plenty of floss emotes being triggered, as fans all over the globe danced the night away to the ten...
News Sony Wants Music, Gaming, and Movies to Collaborate
From consumer electronics to creative company
What kind of company is Sony? Historically, there was no debate over this question: the Japanese giant made consumer electronics. These days, with 47 per cent of its revenue driven by entertainment products, the answer is less obvious. Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, chief...
News Skyrim Composer Jeremy Soule 'Currently Not Involved' with The Elder Scrolls VI
From past to present
Jeremy Soule has been making the music for Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series since Morrowind, and his soundtrack for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is very highly regarded. It features some of the last generation's best music, and is a perfect score for the huge, and still popular, RPG. However, when it comes to The Elder Scrolls VI,...
Game of the Year 2018 The 10 Best PlayStation Soundtracks
Life’s a happy song
2018 was absolutely loaded with great games, and equally great music. The quality started all the way back in January and didn’t let up, offering top-notch content throughout the year. But, as with most lists of this nature, some truly incredible music had to be left off, including the likes of Dead Cells, Hollow Knight,...
Feature Best PS4 Music of November 2018
Heavy hitters
For the final monthly music highlight before we discuss the best soundtracks of the year, we have one more month to work through, and boy what a month it was. This might have been the single strongest month of the year from a musical standpoint, and at least a couple of these are going to be appearing on the Top 10 list that’ll make...
Interview Swan-Diving into the Music of Assassin's Creed Odyssey with Composers, The Flight
A musical odyssey
We recently had the chance to sit down and chat with the composer for the newest title in Ubisoft's long-running juggernaut of a series, Assassin's Creed. Joe Henson and Alexis Smith, known as The Flight, have lent their talents to many titles prior to this, including Horizon: Zero Dawn, Alien: Isolation, and even previous...
Feature Best PS4 Music of October 2018
The piano knows something I don’t know
The big guns came out swinging this month, as the most noteworthy games for October include multiple blockbusters, including (obviously) one of the most anticipated games in arguably the history of the medium. And these titles of course brought with them some absolutely incredible music. So without further...
