Returnal composer shares his experience in making music for the game

In an interview with PlayStation Blog, Bobby Krlic, the composer for PS5 exclusive Returnal, shared insights into his creative process. Krlic, also known by his stage name, The Haxan Cloak, revealed the first track from the game, titled The Crash. You can listen to the song here:

Returnal‘s full soundtrack will release together with the Digital Deluxe Edition of the game when it releases on 30th April. Players can also listen to the album on streaming platforms from 7th May onwards.

In the interview, Krlic revealed that Sony reached out to him back in July 2019. The British composer started by creating a main theme for the different environments in the game, before extrapolating out of different shifts in music such as combat music.

When asked about the album release of Returnal, the composer answered:

“When we’re dealing with something that’s a soundtrack, I want to ensure that whatever narrative is in the source material comes through in the soundtrack. There’s so much narrative material to draw from in the game. There’s certain themes I wanted to approach again. For me to pick the pieces of music that signify this journey that Selene is going on, and then use pieces of audio from the game. I want people to listen to the soundtrack, to not necessarily even have to play the game to get the same experience: the mystery, the journey, the payoff. It was taking as many elements as I could and weaving them together in a different way to how they appear in the game to make it as – hopefully – equally an engaging sonic experience.”

Having composed the music for Midsommar, we eagerly anticipate listening to Krlic’s music in Returnal once it launches on 30th April.