As a musician, the first thing I notice in any video game is the soundtrack and some of the greatest ones have lived rent-free in my head for decades. MLB The Show, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, GTA, Ocarina of Time… these aren’t just games, they’re sonic experiences. So when the opportunity came to dive into Stay: Forever Home Vol. 2 COZY (Original Game Soundtrack) by Dren McDonald, I didn’t hesitate. Featuring the incredibly talented Sophia James and Amelie Anna, this is the kind of soundtrack that makes you wish you were playing the game just to hear it in context. We covered Vol. 1 here at Rock the Pigeon and fell in love with the world of Ember, a doglike companion who lives in the player’s home, and Dren McDonald has somehow managed to make Vol. 2 even more special. We wanted to highlight some of the musical moments for our readership.
The opening track “Otherlands Nightfall” hits like Avatar got lost in a meditation session and never looked back. The instrumentalists and vocalists go absolutely all out here, weaving together sounds and rhythms into a soundscape so immersive you forget where you are. When night falls in the Otherlands, everything transforms. The buzzing energy of the day gives way to something darker, sweeter, and completely hypnotic, and this collection is your all-access pass to every haunting, lullaby-laced moment of it.
“A Home In Between” opens with the musical ambience of the portal itself, and from the first note you feel it. In the game, a portal can crack open the world and pull the player into the Otherlands, a whole other dimension, and this piece captures every layer of that journey: the in-between space, the crossing over, and the ancient voices of the Otherlands and its ancestors welcoming you through. Musically it’s stunning. Amelie Anna’s ethereal vocals float over a string section that genuinely sounds like the heavens parting. It’s beautiful, it’s breathtaking, and unlike the first track it’s not trying at all to overwhelm you. There’s space here. Room to breathe, room to feel, room to actually take in the magic of where you’ve just arrived.
We recorded Sophia’s vocals at her father’s studio (her father is a well known drummer, Chad Wackerman, who has played with Frank Zappa, Men at Work, James Taylor and many others) and we had a very bare bones arrangement of the songs when we recorded. I just had some basic structures, melodies and sometimes harmonies. Once I had a better idea of what the game needed for music, I started to arrange the songs around the vocal parts with other instruments like harp, autoharp (i created a special tuning that I used on the auto harp), acoustic guitar, synths and lyre. So the arrangements really came together after the recording. I worked with Amelie a little bit closer to the release of the game and I had a clearer idea of what we needed, so some of those pieces were more constructed and arranged when we recorded them. We recorded Amelie in my studio along with all the instruments that I played. – Dren McDonald
“Night Time Explorations (feat. Sophia James)” leans more experimental, and it works beautifully. An acoustic guitar breathes life into the track, giving it an earthy, grounded tone that makes perfect sense given its setting near the Hearttree in the Otherlands. It feels organic, alive, and deeply connected to the world around it.
That track leads perfectly into “Back Home Sleepytime,” a lullaby that wraps around you like a warm blanket. Soft synthesizers carry happy, gentle melodies that wash over the listener and ease them into total peace. The play session is over, the day of exploring is done, and it’s time for Ember to curl up in her bed and get some good rest. This track sends Ember off to sleep in the most beautiful way possible. There is another similar track which is the finale track “Starfall to Nightfall.” Not only is that song a great sendoff for Ember to catch her beauty rest, but it’s a great conclusion to the soundtrack.
“The Otherland’s Floating Music Spores (feat. Amelie Anna)” captures something truly magical. Ember is walking through a sacred space, and her presence alone is enough to bring the landscape to life. Flowers bloom, trees awaken, plants stretch toward the light, all because she’s there. She isn’t just exploring the Otherlands, she’s giving life to it. Musically it matches that energy perfectly. A soft acoustic guitar picks gently beneath lush synth pads and the dreamy vocal textures of Amelie Anna, creating something that feels alive and breathing, just like the world Ember is transforming around her.
“Under The Mossling Bridge” is where things get interesting. This is where the creatures of the Otherlands come out to play, unpredictable little beings that might show up bearing gifts or might try to swipe something right out from under you. The track matches that mischievous energy with a vocal heavy synthscape that feels alive and a little mysterious, keeping you on your toes without ever losing its warmth.
It leads perfectly into “Ember’s Memory Pieces,” one of the most tender moments on the album. Ember is slowly piecing herself back together, recovering lost memories and sharing them with the player in real time. It’s deeply personal, deeply peaceful, and paired with the previous track it feels like the journey is reaching something truly meaningful. Two tracks, two completely different energies, flowing together like they were always meant to.
“A Floating Portal In My Room” is where the album takes its boldest turn. The synths hit sharper here, edgier, because something extraordinary is happening: a portal is tearing open in the metaverse, and whatever is on the other side is something very special. The tension is real, the mystery is intoxicating, and Dren McDonald leans all the way into the experimental side of his sound more than anywhere else on the album. It’s the kind of track that makes you stop what you’re doing and just listen.
If you love music that transports you somewhere else entirely, this soundtrack is essential listening whether you’ve played the game or not. Dren McDonald, Sophia James, and Amelie Anna have created something that works just as beautifully on its own as it does inside the world of Stay: Forever Home. Put it on during a late night drive, a quiet morning, or whenever you need to disappear for a little while. Your ears will thank you. Listen now:
Dren McDonald Releases Stay: Forever Home Vol. 1: CHAOS (Original Game Soundtrack)
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Written by Ryan Cassata
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Rock the Pigeon is an independent music and culture blog dedicated to uplifting emerging artists, spotlighting underrepresented voices, and sharing fresh sounds across genres. Since 2012, we’ve been celebrating creativity, authenticity, and the stories behind the songs.
The post Into the Otherlands: Why Dren McDonald’s Vol. 2 COZY Is One of the Best Game Soundtracks You’ll Hear This Year appeared first on ROCK THE PIGEON.