Eric Barone, the developer of Stardew Valley, was responsible for more than just development. While he is working with others now on Stardew Valley's updates, he was responsible for the entirety of the game at launch, including its music. Now, he is teaming up with composers who have worked on Metal Gear and Etrian Odyssey's soundtracks.
These two composers are Norihiko Hibino and Ayaki, responsible for Metal Gear and Etrian Odyssey respectively. The two have formed a duo known as Gentle Love. They have previously released 10 Prescription for Sleep: Game Music Lullabies albums. Eric Barone is working with them to create the 11th based on the soundtrack of Stardew Valley.
The Stardew Valley album is unique compared to the others because Barone produced the whole thing. Jayson Napolitano, a representative from the record company, Scarlet Moon Records, noted that it seemed like they flipped the script on Barone, having him do a lot of the work on the album. That said, Hibino mentioned that he and Ayaki wanted to make sure they kept the core of the soundtrack the same as he felt the original captured the feeling of what it was like to exist in nature.
The collaboration came about because, as Barone stated, he was listening to the Secret of Mana version of Prescription for Sleep while he was working on developing Stardew Valley. Eventually, he realized that the music from Stardew Valley would make a good fit, so he contacted Scarlet Moon Records.
The soundtrack will be released on May 19th via Apple Music, Bandcamp, iTunes, and Amazon, but one track has already been announced. The redone track in question is the piece entitled The Sun Can Bend an Orange Sky. For those who may not recognize the name, it is one of the several tracks that plays during the summer season in Stardew Valley.
Stardew Valley is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Source: PC Gamer