Review: Dren McDonald conjures magic with ‘Stay: Forever Home Vol. 1 CHAOS’ game soundtrack

Dren McDonald casts the listener into a flurry of musical orbs and crystalline balls, floating out in the ether. The original game soundtrack for Stay: Forever Home Vol. 1 CHAOS is a mystical experience. It’s hard to fathom the depths he’s able to take us, and it’s a helluva journey through mbira (thumb piano), harp, and synths. It’s all encased in gloriously soothing harmony work, courtesy of Sophia James and Amelie Anna. Moments like opener “Into the Otherlands” and “Ember’s Magic Walk” stage a wild and magical epoch that completely envelopes you. Even without knowing the game’s premise, you’re delighted with sonic waves that exhilarate and refresh the body.

“Tradeboard Circle” takes your hand and guides you through a luminescent jungle, forested with blips and bloops that run like a waterfall cascading down a mountain. The sojourn all leads to a cinematic climax. The closing track, “The Extended 80s Mossling Thief,” unwinds with a syncopated rhythm before bounding away with lioness force. Intensely organic and fiercely earnest, McDonald’s creation conjures up a listening experience that works on its own or in tandem with the game.

Stay: Forever Home Vol. 1 CHAOS testifies to Dren McDonald’s innate talents. He lets the compositions settle in your soul, where fantastical images sprout and grow wings. It’s almost a healing experience; just let the soundscape wash over you.

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