A huge part of the attraction for me was the music, which was clearly front and centre, high in the mix, and every track seemed to be an earworm designed to reel me in, hook, line, and sinker.
It was clearly a soundtrack that would stand alone outside of the video game, and so getting the chance to write about it here is an absolute pleasure. Before I dive into the product and music, I implore you to check out Cassette Beasts if you enjoy turn-based RPGs, as it’s a nifty little game!
We’ve covered many a release from Black Screen Records, and Cassette Beasts is again held to the high standards set by their prior records, perfectly pressed on heavyweight vinyl, with the records themselves held in those all-important anti-static, thick sleeves and ensconced in a double gatefold, this is a pristine pressing for your collection.
The cover features one of the main characters mid-dance, holding a portable cassette player aloft, moving in a spotlight as the background is filled with clouds of grey stage smoke.
The only colours featured – aside from the myriad shades of grey – are the pastel pops of purple and mint green that are also echoed on the records themselves. The image is full-size, and the only text here is the title of the game down the right-hand side, also of note is the spine, which states that this is BSR099, Black Screen Record’s 99th release!
Moving on to the rear cover, the smoky grey image continues, and the various credits and details are laid out across the bottom, as the four sides of the record – alongside the track titles and lengths – are atop the smoke. The record is one of two halves, the first (purple) record covering the ‘Story’ aspects, with the majority of songs featuring the vocals of Shelby Harvey, whilst the second (mint green) record ‘World’ is purely instrumental, capturing the wanderings of our protagonist. Featuring 33 tracks in total - there is a lot of gold here.
Opening the gatefold up shows a blast of mint green across both pages, and the album lyrics taking up the vast majority of the spacing, alongside a sketch-style drawing of a character listening to music on headphones. The ‘80s aesthetic in both the colouring, technology featured, and character design drives home that sense of cool synth, but rest assured – the album offers far more variety than mere dream-synth pop tunes!
Tracklist
A01. Title Theme
A02. Cross Your Heart
A03. Victory Theme
A04. Wherever We Are Now
A05. Kayleigh's Theme
A06. Eugene's Theme
A07. Meredith's Theme
A08. Same Old Story
B01. Shot in the Dark
B02. Face Down
B03. Felix's Theme
B04. Viola's Theme
B05. Barkley's Theme
B06. Like Chimeras
B07. Deus Ex Calibur
B08. Arrow of Time
C01. By the Campfire
C02. New Wirral Park
C03. Jaunty Merchant Tune
C04. New Wirral (Night)
C05. The Mournchildren
C06. Autumn Hill
C07. The Stations Beneath
C08. Archangel Encounter
D01. The Amber Lodge
D02. Into the Caves
D03. Cherry Meadow
D04. Eastham Woods
D05. The Marshes
D06. Mt. Wirral
D07. Night's Bridge Station
D08. Goodbyes
D09. Credits
The quality of production hits you instantly, everything is rich, pumping, and wonderfully balanced by Black Screen Records’ own mastering mastermind, Christian Bethge – who fine-tunes the creative aural weavings of composer Joel Baylis. As I’ve mentioned before in some reviews, I personally struggle with vocals and lyrics in video games as they tend to either be cheesy, on-the-nose, or just plain tedious.
Whilst there are certainly moments throughout the ‘Story’ side of things here that are somewhat cloying, the feel-good vibe of the game, combined with Shelby Harvey’s angel-punk delivery melds well with the pop-sheen of the compositions, which oscillate between garage / indie-rock through to acoustic ballads, lilting piano, ambient soundscapes and more.
The gentle, acoustic guitar-led Title Theme leads into Cross Your Heart, a spicy rocker with J-rock vibes in the production and introduces us to the voice of album lead vocalist Shelby Harvey. It’s an energetic track delivered with gusto.
Victory Theme is a fun blast of instrumental music that you’ll hear a lot in the game, and luckily, it’s a bubbly, brief, and catchy track. Wherever We Are Now follows, and this was an early favourite for me, and the track that made my ears prick up when I first heard it in-game.
Laconic drums, shimmering guitar and mellow bass underscore a breathy performance from Harvey that is lifted magnificently by an aching organ backdrop. Those drums are important.
This highlight is followed by some character themes that act as interludes to the next song in earnest, Same Old Story, which closes Side A of the album. Not a huge favourite of mine, but it’s an example of the seeming requirement for lyrics to hint at gameplay and it holds back the track, giving a ’by the numbers’ feel, and I can’t shake the feeling that it would have been more enjoyable as an instrumental, or perhaps with a heavy stripping back of the lyrics.
Side B kicks off with a raucous, crunchy track – Shot in the Dark (also the title of the best Pink Panther movie). The mellower vocal delivery here is far less hectic than the previous track and as such, flows with the music, and this track is perhaps the most ‘80s-tastic, yet! The boxy guitar, and electronic drums – complete with ‘80s-esque rolls-around-the-kit – capture the sense of a lost ‘80s spandex hit.
This milky rock vibe continues through Face Down - honestly, by this point, you’ll have imaginary music videos playing in your mind, complete with neon smoke and synchronised dance routines.
Felix’s Theme brings things down with more chorus-driven, clean electric guitar and casual synth lines alongside a snappy electro-beat, and anything that reminds me of the theme music for Pocket Tanks is an absolute winner in my book. Viola’s Theme has a medieval tint to the intro before opening up quickly into a celebratory jaunt.
Like Chimeras is the next track featuring vocals, and we are back to the ‘80s as this keyboard-led, 4/4 pop blazer takes us on a synth journey down the retro highway. There are some really cool moments in double-tracked vocals accentuating the tail end of some vocal lines that popped out at me on this one.
Deus Ex Calibur is a huge change in pace, as frantic beats, buzzsaw synth and panicked ambient music almost goes full-tilt horror, a little something for Halloween! And it even treats us to a cheeky sax solo, good. The track eventually drops smoothly into Arrow of Time, which re-introduces Shelby Harvey’s vocals and ends the first record on a spiky, rocky note.
The second record, ‘World’ is completely instrumental, and begins with By the Campfire, a rich, acoustic-guitar-led track with subtle layering that is entrancing in its delicacy.
New Wirral Park brings out the electric and treats us to one of the strongest melodic moments on the album, the way the track introduces instrumentation and builds over the central motif really grabbed me. The sharp, chiming chords of extra guitar and hypnotic riff began to cement in my mind my preference for the instrumental aspects of the album, there is focus and care on all instruments, with everything having a part to play in creating the tunes. As an example, the bubbling bass, ambient work, and casually busy drums allow your ear to drift focus between certain aspects of the song, and there’s always something interesting going on to pull you in.
Jaunty Merchant Tune is very much what it says on the tin, gentle, plucked acoustic guitar to get your toes tapping, it’s a lovely, short sojourn. New Wirral (Night) is a breathy, echoing expanse of mellowness, which is bloody lovely.
The Mournchildren is all palm-muted guitar, snatches of bass and a sense of building tension in enveloping darkness, evocative stuff! This leads to Autumn Hill, which is a track that brings the mood back up, with a skiffling, muted drumbeat, chiming piano, and clean electric slides, it feels like a travelling song and captures the world of Cassette Beasts in a dainty, personable way.
The Stations Beneath, however, takes us on a darker journey. Beginning with bassy pulses, it is a song of warning and threat. Rumbling electronica and growing tension are the order of the day, here. One of the few dark tracks on the album, and all the more impactful for that very reason.
Archangel Encounter ends the album on a mysterious and heavy note, as the looming threat hinted at in The Stations Beneath morphs into something very real, the heart-beat pulses, growing and buzzing electronica build up to…what?
Side D teases us with the first foray into loungey jazz with the smoky, hi-hat rhythms of The Amber Lodge, which is a place I’d very much like to frequent if this music is anything to go by.
I’m a sucker for smooth jazz, and this is all very much up my strasse, someone pour me a bourbon. From seductive jazz, we go Into the Caves, where muted drums echo over metallic hums and swells, incredibly effectively. A cyberpunk grunt from behind a thick, stone wall that is cut through with a hopeful melodic line.
Cherry Meadows follows this, and is a breath of fresh air, percussion, and woodwind, giving a sense of freedom and space following the more claustrophobic preceding track.
Eastham Woods continues this bucolic, pastoral vibe, adding even more of a sense of travel and wide-eyed exploration to the scene.
The Marshes return to laid-back drum delivery and chiming electric guitar, there are some lovely guitar melodies dancing around in this one, it sounds to me like a Fender single-coil, but I could be wrong! Baylis’ use of guitar to give a pull of emotion throughout the album is subtle and effective. There’s a sense of childlike wonder in the way the music fuses as a whole.
As we approach the end of the album, Mt. Wirral is a very minimalist track, successfully creating a sense of space with light synth and ambience, the only percussion being the gentle thud of a bass drum that eventually adds a lazy snare. I love the subtly atonal piano work at the end of this, just enough to give a touch of unease to the track.
Night’s Bridge Station is a growling, electronic beast that features an ascending riff and stabs of synth, a move to the technological scene following some more natural-sounding moments on the album.
Goodbyes feels like it echoes prior melodies on the album in its piano / nylon-strung guitar blend, as if looking back on the journey travelled, a great and reflective way to reach the end of the album, with Credits gently plucking the album to a close.
SUMMARY
The music of Cassette Beasts is a collection of warm, expertly crafted tunes that will get wedged in your head. As someone who leans towards more instrumental soundtracks, the second record appealed to me much more than the first, but the glory of Wherever We Are Now (enchanting vocals by Shelby Harvey) was also a real highlight for me.
Beautifully pressed and put together, Autumn feels the perfect season for Cassette Beasts, and the purple/grey/green design is simple and striking, Joel Baylis is certainly a musician I’ll be keeping my eye on in future gaming soundtracks!
From the Black Screen Records site:
• Gatefold cover with original artwork by Sami Briggs
• Double LP on purple & mint green vinyl
• Remastered for vinyl by Christian Bethge
• Vinyl and tape bundle available HERE
The monster-collecting open-world RPG "Cassette Beasts" is delivering a furious 80's synth rock meets British indie soundtrack composed by Joel Baylis and featuring shooting star Shelby Harvey on vocals. This soundtrack is taking you on a journey across the mysterious island of New Wirral - from lo-fi acoustic ballads to all-out headbangers!
By the way, welcome to New Wirral, a remote island inhabited by strange creatures you’ve only dreamed of, nightmares you hopefully haven’t, and a cast of brave folks who use cassette tapes to transform for battle. To find a way home you’ll need to explore every inch of the island, and record monsters to your trusty cassette tapes to gain their abilities!
Joel Baylis shares a brief insight into his vision for the soundtrack and the outcomes: "My goal when writing the music for ‘Cassette Beasts‘ was to make something that felt somewhere between a role-playing game soundtrack and an 80’s synth rock album. Despite its influences, I feel like it ended up being rather unique. It’s quite hard to pin a genre onto these tracks and the collection itself varies greatly in vibes as well as styles."
Baylis is also enthusiastic about the physical release of the "Cassette Beasts" soundtrack on beautiful purple and mint green coloured double vinyl: "The LP contains the best of each aspect of the game’s soundtrack, thoughtfully put together to offer something that will look great in your collection, and sound great under the needle." And while the entire game is revolving around cassettes, Black Screen Records are sure taking care of this with a limited tape edition. You’re all backed-up for the monster hunt!
The "Cassette Beasts" soundtrack is not only a must for indie gamers but also for fans of artists like CHVRCHES and everyone who’s into the 80‘s synth sound.
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