This started as a simple 2 chord sketch on acoustic guitar, recorded back in 2012. I was thinking of using it for the first world of the game, and had called it "Autumn" along those lines. After revisiting it, I thought it might work better for the water world, in which I wanted a chill, laid back vibe. Also, Ian had already done music for the autumn level, and while I think he intended to have me replace all of his work, I was pretty fond of it and inspired by it, so I was more than happy to leave his work in. This production all came together only a few days before the game was released. I spent a good bit of time exploring other ideas for the ocean world, but many did not pan out. I tried mapping notes to the geography of levels, and some pretty weird and interesting phasing ideas, which felt too chaotic. Those tunes actually ended up in the last level of the game.
Though I have just as much nostalgia with Volume Alpha, I think this one is a little more nostalgic for me. I was primarily a creative mode player cause I sucked at survival mode for a while and I played the console versions a lot. It was not until quarantine came around that I played survival mode often. I own the CD and I pre-ordered the vinyl cause I love this album. AG319 Alt Acc