Santaolalla had previously composed the music for The Last of Us (2013). He created music based on the story pitch by creative director Neil Druckmann, and his work often inspired Druckmann to write new scenes. Santaolalla used his signature instrument, the ronroco, to represent Ellie, and the banjo for Abby. The game is themed around the banjo and an electric guitar. While Santaolalla was tasked with creating the emotional, character-based tracks, Quayle composed the combat music. He was hired in 2018 due to his work on the television series Mr. Robot, and aimed to create a suspenseful sound to keep the action moving and reflect the anxiety-inducing gameplay.
The development team received permission to create cover versions of several songs from artists such as Pearl Jam, Shawn James, and A-ha. The covers became a significant part of the characters and their development; Ellie's guitar allows her to access memories and emotions, and Pearl Jam's song "Future Days" acts as a theme between her and Joel throughout the game. Critical reception to the music was positive, as reviewers felt that it connected appropriately with the narrative and added tension to the gameplay. It was nominated for numerous awards.
Production and composition
Gustavo Santaolalla returned to compose and perform the score for The Last of Us Part II, as he had done with the first game.[1]Naughty Dog tasked him to create emotional, character-based tracks, and he worked on the game for two to three years.[2] He created music based on the story pitch by creative director Neil Druckmann and they fit the music into the scenes later, occasionally requiring minor rewrites.[3] Santaolalla delivered small parts over time, often inspiring Druckmann to write new scenes. With the game still in development, Santaolalla worked with the story, characters, and artwork to craft the score, though he was familiar with "the visual language" after the first game.[2] He wanted to maintain and extend the first game's motifs while introducing new elements.[2] He felt his approach in composing had not changed as the themes of love (continued from the first game) and hate (new to PartII) were linked: the latter a deformation of the former.[4]
Santaolalla continued using the ronroco, his signature instrument used in the first game's theme, as he felt it enhanced Ellie's qualities through feminine sounds,[4] while he introduced a banjo for Abby's theme. He composed PartII's score around the banjo and an electric guitar, feeling the increased characters and complexities demanded more timbre.[5] The developers encouraged him to use the banjo despite his initial hesitance; he felt it reflected the game's American setting and origin[4] and his spontaneous use imparted a "searching, reflective, pensive" feeling.[5] Santaolalla wanted Joel's themes rendered acoustically in PartII, replacing the first game's Fender VI bass guitar with esoteric Argentine strings called "Magma", which maintained the Fender's darkness but emitted a more virile sound.[4] For the orchestral parts, Santaolalla favored the bass clarinet for its five octave range and warm quality, akin to a flute.[4] The music during Joel's death scene intended to build dread but feel inevitable, as opposed to the surprise and sadness invoked during Sarah's death in the first game.[6] Druckmann wanted the music to convey narrative elements: after Abby collects the medicine to save Yara, the music symbolizes her redemption; when she later protects Lev, it represents their relationship.[3]
Mac Quayle was hired in early 2018 to create the combat music.[7][8] The developers were familiar with his work on the television series Mr. Robot. Quayle bought a PlayStation 4 and The Last of Us to familiarize himself with the series.[8] He began writing ideas in May 2018 and delivered final music in January 2020; he found the deadlines more relaxed than film and television. Though they discussed potentially sharing stems and sessions, Santaolalla and Quayle's collaborations were minimal; they performed a three-day recording session in PlayStation's offices in October 2018, experimenting to create "grooves and textures".[8] Quayle attributed their similarities to the developers "really knowing what they wanted".[8] Quayle's music aimed to represent the gameplay's "relentless tension", consistently moving the action forward and heightening suspense and anxiety.[8] Quayle was provided with videos of early gameplay for inspiration. He used Logic Pro to manipulate the live acoustic instruments, of which his favorite were the bass guitar and cello; he brought in a professional cellist for the latter.[8]
"The Last of Us (Cycles)" Released: September 27, 2018
Music from The Last of Us Part II is a single consisting of two songs from the game: "Little Sadie" performed by Crooked Still, and "The Last of Us (Cycles)" by Santaolalla.[9] The vinyl record, mastered by James Plotkin,[10] was released in June 2018 following the game's presentation at E3, which featured the song "Little Sadie". It was available to purchase in blue from Mondo, and in red at the PlayStation Gear Store at E3.[9] "The Last of Us (Cycles)" was released digitally as an individual single on September 27, 2018.[11]
A single featuring two songs from the game was released as a seven-inch vinyl record with the Ellie Edition of The Last of Us Part II on June 19, 2020. The songs, composed and performed by Santaolalla, were later released in the Original Soundtrack under different titles. The Ellie Edition was exclusive for sale in the United States.[12][13]
The Last of Us Part II (Original Soundtrack) comprises songs from the game, composed and produced by Santaolalla. The soundtrack spans 28 tracks, covering a duration of 77 minutes. Sony Interactive Entertainment first published the album digitally on June 19, 2020.[14] It was produced by Santaolalla, Aníbal Kerpel, and Scott Hanau, and mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering by Patricia Sullivan.[14] Vinyl record versions were released by Mondo on 5 February 2021 and by Milan Records on 26 February.[15] The Mondo version cover was designed by Tula Lotay.[14][16]
In the context of the game, the music received praise. IGN's Jonathon Dornbush lauded Santaolalla's "moving" score,[17] and Andy McNamara of Game Informer found that the music added tension.[18] Kevin Dunsmore of Hardcore Gamer wrote that the "haunting and subtle melodies blend into the world seamlessly".[19]Eurogamer's Oli Welsh praised the score for its combination of banjo and electronics.[20] The soundtrack was nominated for Best Physical Soundtrack Release at the 18th Annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards in April 2021.[21]
The album ranked on the charts twice in Europe: August to September 2020, when it ranked 85 in Spain[15] and 170 in Belgium and France;[22][23] and February to March 2021, when it ranked 11 in the United Kingdom,[24] 62 in Belgium,[22] 96 in Spain,[15] and 193 in France.[23]
The Last of Us Part II: Covers and Rarities comprises five cover songs from the game and its marketing, produced by Santaolalla and Quayle.[25] The covers are performed by actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, who portrayed Joel and Ellie respectively, as well as guitarist Chris Rondinella.[25] Sony published the album digitally on September 27, 2021, as part of The Last of Us Day. A vinyl record version was made available for preorder simultaneously,[26][27] with art designed by Dani Pendergast and liner notes written by Druckmann.[25] Johnson and Baker's cover of "Wayfaring Stranger" plays over the game's credits; completing the game on the "Grounded" difficulty setting will play Baker's cover of "Future Days", while completing on permadeath plays Johnson's cover of "Through the Valley".[28]
The in-game covers became a significant part of the characters and their development, namely Ellie with her guitar. Druckmann found that Ellie's guitar-playing allowed her access to memories and emotions; when she loses her fingers in the game's conclusion, it serves to sever ties to her memories and relationships.[3] The song "Future Days" by Pearl Jam acts as a theme between Ellie and Joel throughout the game. The song was previously featured as part of One Night Live in an unbroadcast epilogue wherein Joel plays the song to Ellie.[29] According to Druckmann, Sony was doubtful that Naughty Dog would receive permission to use the song; the band's manager agreed after hearing the story pitch, receiving a PlayStation 4 and a copy of the original game, and an advanced screening of a trailer.[7] Although the song's album Lightning Bolt was released two weeks after the onset of the in-game outbreak in September 2013, Druckmann recalled seeing a live performance of the song several months earlier in July, and felt that its inclusion was realistic.[3]
An acoustic cover of "True Faith", a song originally by New Order, was used in an animated commercial for the game.[30] The cover is specifically inspired by a version of the song by Lotte Kestner, though she was not credited at the time; when Kestner reached out to Naughty Dog, Druckmann issued an apology and ensured proper credit.[31]Shawn James was contacted by Sony in mid-2014 for permission to create a cover of his song "Through the Valley" for an upcoming game; James was unaware of how it would be used until he watched the game's first trailer at the PlayStation Experience in December 2016. Druckmann had specifically enjoyed the song and felt that it aligned with the game's darkness and emotion.[32] The song went viral after the trailer's release, charting atop the Spotify viral charts in the United Kingdom.[33] For the game's launch, Tash Sultana covered James's song for PlayStation Australia.[34] Naughty Dog was able to secure permission to use "Take On Me" by A-ha in one of the game's scenes due to co-writer Halley Gross's friendship with Lauren Savoy, the wife of A-ha guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy. Druckmann found that the song's lyrics addressed the game's themes in a lighthearted manner.[3] He felt that the scene featuring the song being optional made it feel more important to the player, though the team considered making it unmissable instead.[35] After Johnson worked with vocal coach Melissa Reese, the team felt that her singing was too refined, and asked her to consciously sing worse.[3] Johnson and Baker performed "Wayfaring Stranger" in-character in the opening of a PlayStation Experience panel for the game in December 2017.[36]
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