Today I wrote a short song about a spirit cat. It was all I could manage this weekend before going off to gig with one of my bands (and I have a long journey ahead. I'll talk about that at a later point, maybe).

You see, I wrote this song in response to a game account that followed me on Bluesky, called Peregrine Point. It's about a lighthouse keeper's cat that guides spirit cats to the afterlife, to where they're meant to go.

The plot summary I typed above made me cry. By that point I already had cultural context about spirit cats guiding other cats, and how sad their stories can be. Some of you reading this might be familiar, perhaps, with Jenny Jinya's comics, specifically this one. The melody I used for spirit cat was already in my head when I'd read that comic, and seeing Peregrine Point made me want to finalise it and put it into the DAW*.

I was having second thoughts about putting this melody into the DAW because I knew that the developer(s) of Peregrine Point were looking for something wistful to serve as the main theme. “Wistful” can mean any number of things when translated into the language of music and musical tropes. I fought through much self-doubt to get this little tune out, and I had initially planned on animating a cat to go with the song, but I'm pressed for time right now.

Thing is, how we process the feel of a song, the emotions of a song, is going to be different from person to person. It is shaped by our experiences, our culture, and the experiences of those around us. The only thing I can say when we feel this level of self-doubt is to put it out there anyway – someone out there will relate to it, and that reason alone is enough. I posted that advice on Bluesky saying that I'd need it as much as the next person.

When writing for games, I tend to process my emotions through melody and underlying tonality. I prioritise these over instrument choice: the simple reason for that is that I am still at a point where I am relying on software defaults and free VSTs. So it falls to me to not only use these tools well, but make absolutely sure that my musicality makes up for it. As with my lyrical stuff, I hope to write things that the everyperson is going to find themself whistling in the corridor or on the commute home. Because of my background – Asian, religious (and queer), raised on loads of JRPGs – I tend to infuse something of the spiritual into some of my work. The thought of a loving soul guiding their lost companion on a long journey home brings tears to my eyes for reasons I will not go into.

Rambling about spirit cats and game audio done for today; enjoy the music.

*DAW = digital audio workstation, a program used to produce music, e.g. Logic Pro, Cubase, FL Studio