Another cryptic tease from Hideo Kojima on the matter of Death Stranding 2 was snuck out, and this time, with music involved. The game genius claimed of an original song titled “On The Beach” by Caroline Polachek that would appear in the game. It is honestly one of those odd arty sorts of things that one would expect from Kojima Productions.
So, who is Caroline Polachek? If you really don’t immerse yourself in the indie world, you may never have heard her solo work, but she is certainly very capable. All along, she’s basically been the voice and heart of Chairlift (yes, the band behind the song from 10 Things I Hate About You), after which she embarked on her solo career doing dreamy experimental pop. Perfect for the surreal, slight melancholy feel of Death Stranding.
The original Death Stranding had a great soundtrack to go with it, with Low Roar’s esoteric tunes sealing the deal between the naming of the soundtrack and Sam’s long lonely Odysseys across America. With Polachek on board, the atmospheric soundtrack is seriously getting a big push in DS2 again. Indeed, “On The Beach” looks to be another big emotional win-the-kind-or even deeper-winner as “Don’t Be So Serious” was for the sequel.
Well, Kojima doesn’t really say anything about how or where the song will be played; all we do know is basically that if Kojima is behind it, the song will just ruin an already-heartbreaking cutscene where Norman Reedus cries his heart out in the pouring rain, or maybe it’s the theme for a new character—could be Elle Fanning’s gig. Combined with that he’s still mixing music and gaming all with his own quirky DIY style… Come on, that’s just… chef’s kiss.
Of course, this was not the first time a musical teaser for Dying Stranding 2 had been fired off. According to rumors going around last year, Chvrches and Kojima are said to be working on the soundtrack, after he posted a photo with them. At this point, the DS2 OST is surely going to be filled with indie darlings and legends of synth-pop.
And still no date has been nailed down for release; however, with these little teases at least, it’s starting to feel like things are actually coming together soon. Maybe we’ll finally get a full trailer at The Game Awards? Or it could be the return of that very weird, very long stream from Kojima Productions, where they spend half an hour yakking about movies with just ten seconds of gameplay dropped at the end… Either way, count us in.
And nothing on this planet can force us to believe else that the soundtrack will be breathtaking. The world of Kojima… never a dull moment. Then excuse us while we drown in Caroline Polachek’s entire discography on repeat, daydreaming about what “On The Beach” might actually sound like, at least paired with baby-filled pods and invisible monsters.
