mikedrop & LoFi VGM – Silent Hill 2 EP Review

What does mikedrop & LoFi VGM sound like?

Chillaxing in your horror comfort zone.

The review of ‘Silent Hill 2’ EP from mikedrop & LoFi VGM

Heading into the witching season, and with a new entry into the Silent Hill franchise out and well-received, mikedrop & LoFi VGM collaborate on an interesting project. Using mikedrop’s guitar skills and LoFi VGM’s lo-fi beats, the two artists combine their talents to reimagine some of Akira Yamaoka’s classic melodies from the iconic game.

‘Theme of Laura’ opens the EP, turning the driving anthemic rock track into a laidback, loungey piece. mikedrop’s guitar starts off with an electric layer, but really comes into its own when they transition into acoustic elements. The EP uses a lot of cassette tape effects to warp and lightly chew other synths, and that keeps the beats direct and to the point. The opening track also features some voice work recounting some of Maria’s key lines in the game for added mystique.

The lo-fi edge often means soft and gooey, but for the rendition of ‘True’, that soft, gooey nature actually gets under your skin. There is a sludgey, lethargic beat and oppressed hollow synth work that grinds away across this reimagining. The guitars are barely noticeable as the dim twinkles of the main piano melody are like tiny lights being snuffed out. It’s a great rework and feels like it could be placed straight into Silent Hill 4 sonically. Similarly, ‘Theme of Laura’ keeps the muted, muffled beats and numbing basslines front and centre. With crackling fire and harsh wood noise, the whole thing feels beautifully broken. The icy vinyl synth work reminds me of Shattered Memories.

Songs transition like cassette tapes being ejected or fast-forwarded across the EP, and ‘Promise’ kicks off with a clunk. mikedrop’s acoustic guitar work lacks the dynamism and sustain reverb of the electric guitar from the original, and that means the lead melody doesn’t quite land as strongly. Unfortunately, some of the key notes in the bridge are a bit muted, and the track fades out too soon, leaving this rework a bit undercooked. After four tracks of quite rigid, almost wooden structures, ‘Love Psalm’ ups the tempo and leaves the best for last. The percussion is far more fluid, like a late 90’s indie pop track, and the electric guitar is hazy, gazey, and allowed to shine. With the exception of ‘True’ earlier on, all the other tracks feel like they’ve been heavily quantised, and as ‘Love Psalm’ doesn’t, it stands out.

‘Silent Hill 2 EP’ is an interesting experiment. Not everything here lands perfectly because, in an effort to create lo-fi beat style music, it feels like melodies and motifs have been transformed into rigid structures. That robs the reworks of the dynamism of the originals, and so whilst there are some great moments here, this is not my favourite rearrangement of Silent Hill music to date. Not bad, but I’d like to see a follow-up that lets the guitar off the hook a bit more.

Recommended track: Love Psalm

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