How do you discover new music nowadays, and how much does technology play a part in it? Don’t feel ashamed if you’re not one of the people walking into stores for it, or trading cassettes in order to refresh your musical taste. Nearly nobody, for better or worse, does this nowadays, and almost everybody throughout history has been dependent on new technology to shape their preferences.
Dren McDonald is an old-school musician and composer working to serve the modern interests. He’s no snob, and that’s both a good thing and a rare one. McDonald is a working musician and knows it. But he’s also aware that to seek employment in this industry, you must first thoroughly enjoy what you do.
Do you, dear readers, enjoy video games? If you do not, you constitute an exception. Recent studies suggest that more than 3 billion people are fans of video games, 200 million of whom live in the U.S. alone. Taste in games has broadened as well, with genres and platforms used for play varying across different parts of the world.
“Stay: Forever Home” is a modern video game centred around an old, near-universally beloved interest – caring for a pet. While Tamagotchi-like games have existed for decades, “Stay: Forever Home” updates the concept to utilise modern tech and appeal to users who have grown up with a smartphone or game controller in their hands.
Dren McDonald’s soundtrack for the game attempts to find the essence of it and tailor the music around enhancing the experience. The game developers describe the atmosphere of the game as “cosy” and “magical.” Your virtual pet lives in a magical land and needs your attention.
The music that McDonald’s wrote and recorded for this project is meant to provide gamers with an instant mental picture of The Otherlands, the fantasy land in which this all takes place.
And, so, experienced in the art of music designed for video games, McDonald creates a warm, friendly batch of songs. Take, for example, the opener, “Into the Otherlands,” where the writer, along with singers Sophia James and Amelie Anna, whose vocals blend beautifully, create something that is both lightweight and arcane-sounding.
You can hear more of that on minimalist pieces, mystic-folk pieces like “Ember’s Magic Walk” or “Introducing Ember.” The goal is for the music to be friendly, but not intrusive. And, in fact, in the modern era of the internet, that’s the goal of most artists looking to make a living in the entertainment business.
Where does this leave us? Dren McDonald’s soundtrack sounds lovely. You’ll notice at first, and then it’ll just blend into the background while you play the game. Likely, somewhere down the line, you’ll remember how the game and music made you feel, and you’ll seek out the soundtrack as a way to re-experience that. And that’s the point. Modern music sells you an experience and may work best when working alongside tech that enhances the experience.
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