Forever Haven

Basic Info

Genres - A mixture of Rock, Orchestral, Trance, and Drum and Bass  

Tracks - 3

Runtime - 5 minutes, 53 seconds

DAW - FL Studio

Concept

Mel was once an imaginative kid who grew up in the sleepy town of Suncreek. Over time, the expansion of the town led Mel’s old haunt to be overtaken by industry, and the adventures they once conjured while playing by their beloved river became relics of the past.

Thankfully, Mel will always be a dreamer, and their stories will always evolve alongside the place they call home.

Process

I first started by drafting out the story of Mel, which turned out much more complicated than it needed to be (lol). I originally wanted to write 6 tracks--3 exploration tracks to represent daydreams and 3 others to represent growing up in a developing town. However, due to time constraints, I stuck with only the exploration portion. 

The first track, “To Dance with Waves”, was originally a scrapped track for a fantasy village theme in another game project. The track was repurposed and had a 2nd theme added to it, which became the leitmotif for this soundtrack. 

My goal was to gradually incorporate more elements of electronic music as the soundtrack progressed to demonstrate both the passage of time and the development of Suncreek from a rural town into a city. Given the fact that I have been playing too many JRPGs at once lately (namely Falcom titles and Etrian Odyssey), their influence has undoubtedly leaked into my music as of late, and you can expect to hear it here.

Theme Incorporation: “Tick Tock….”

This soundtrack incorporates the theme through exploring the evolution of people and places through the passage of time. Each track represents a time in the protagonist’s (Mel’s) life and the state of a location in their hometown they enjoy playing in at a young age. Mel imagines many adventures at this location, shaped by their personal experiences and the changes they see around them. 

Track Summaries

1. To Dance with the Waves - Child Mel plays pretend by the river, imagining they are a pirate exploring the vast ocean in search of treasure. The sky's the limit. The possibilities are endless. Nothing can hold back this invincible, young mariner!

2.  Ruins of Future Days - Teenage Mel passes by their once-frequented river. The area is blocked off due to the beginning of a large-scale construction project. Regardless, the landscape reminds their adventurous mind of ruins, and they picture a stroll through the remnants of an ancient, yet advanced, civilization.

3. Synthetic Ascent - What was once a mere river surrounded by vegetation and wildlife is no more. Tall blocks of concrete. Unnervingly bright lights. Far too much noise. It is foolish to think that a way to revert everything awaits at the apex of the tallest tower. But, that doesn’t stop Mel from wishing that the only obstacle to returning to simpler days is fighting through a huge gauntlet of robots that feed corporate greed.