Oxenfree by scntfc
“All the outs in free...”
Lost (Prologue)
Grab your radio and hitch a ride on the last ferry to Edwards Island this week with Oxenfree by scntfc. Pressed on purple and gray vinyl by iam8bit, the soundtrack to Night School Studio’s 2016 horror adventure game is here to coax you into its staticy embrace. Completely removed from time itself, what Oxenfree hides in the peaks and valleys of its mysteriously trippy landscape of grooves will haunt you for all eternity.
Epiphany Fields
scntfc (C Andrew Rohrmann) is an American composer and sound designer based out of Seattle, Washington. Best known as his stage name scntf, Andrew’s experimental sound design has become the cornerstone for some of the best indie soundtracks and remixes of all time. Andrew's expertise in audio and sound design was the catalyst that Night School Studio needed to help deliver the story of Alex and her band of friends in this twisted science fiction horror amalgam. Oxenfree isn’t so much a horror soundtrack as it is an experimental journey through sound itself.
Argonaut
As an accompaniment to one of the most intriguing video games of all time, it's how Andrew's musical arrangement plays in the background that truly distorts your perception of sound and time. Using a mixture of analog recordings played back and re-recorded on cassette and reel to reel, Andrew's unique sound design is what makes Oxenfree such an enjoyable experience. Displacing you into his own chamber of radio-filled static, Andrew is able to build a world of sound that has no discernible time period attached to it. Through this method of composition, Andrew is able to breed this dissonance in your mind that only builds as this album spins wildly out of control. Sending you into this insurmountable cascade of melodies and tones, Andrew washes your very psyche in this wholly nostalgic yet disconcerting way that creates such an amazing listening experience. Serene in its delivery, the way in which the melodies writhe and blend into the backdrop of analog filled bits and pounding bass makes this one of the most strangely peaceful horror soundtracks I have ever experienced and one that I highly recommend everyone to add to their collection!
The Gate
As one of the finest iam8bit releases to date, Oxenfree has become somewhat of a white whale in the video game vinyl scene. As a sought after record by many fans and collectors I believe this is one album that is most deserving of a repress. This is seriously one of the most unique albums in my collection from a design standpoint and I can see why it has become a desired album for many fans and collectors out there. The die-cut translucent foil inlay on this album's cover and its surrounding artwork is just a masterwork in design and execution from iam8bit and Austin James. The amount of love and care poured into making this one of the best collector’s edition albums in video game vinyl history is why Oxenfree is among the greatest albums ever released.
Days Past
The music here is just too good to not be put on vinyl again. If you'd like to see this album or any other music from the Oxenfree project come back to vinyl please reach out to scntfc, Night School Studio, Skybound Games, or iam8bit directly to show your interest in this album receiving the vinyl treatment again. At the bottom of this article I have posted all the relevant contact info that you will need to drop a line to those involved in this album’s creation. I know that I would love to see this album get some more pressings, and what better way to love this album than placing it among the others in your collection, let’s see if we can make our desires heard!
The Beach, 7AM
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Where to buy?
Unfortunately, this album was pressed in limited quantities and sold out from iam8bit shortly after it went up for sale in 2016. This album is one of the most deserving in my opinion of a repress and if you feel the same I encourage you to reach out to the people involved in the making of this album to see if we can get another edition of this album in some form pressed to vinyl again!
scntfc: science@strongforthefuture.com
Night School Studio: oxenfree@nightschoolstudio.com
Skybound Games: https://www.skybound.com/contact
iam8bit: https://www.iam8bit.com/pages/contact-us