A Dash From Home (Soundtrack)

This album was made for the OST Composing Jam #4.

In the hypothetical A Dash From Home, the main character lives a peaceful life with their family at home. They laugh, they play and life is good. However, their home is attacked and you run for your life. You run from location to location, searching for a new home all whilst being chased by criminals who drove you away.

There are three songs that are based on the leitmotif I simply call “Home”, and the three “Running Through…” songs are all based on their own leitmotif I called “Run”. I took inspiration from Bravely Default 2, where the main overworld music is the same basic song, but has different styles depending on which area you’re currently exploring. So, all of my “Run” motif songs are all the same melody but with vastly different styles. This made it easier to make music under the time constraint, have a solid connection between songs, and serve as a fun way to practice writing in different styles.

Here is the song list with a bit of description about each one.

Track 1: Farewell

This track plays when your home is attacked, forcing you to start running. I envision this being a sad moment that needs time to breathe. The instrumentation is very simple, consisting of a piano, string section and solo cello. The solo cello swells with the “home” motif, marking its first appearance. While this is a sad moment, I didn’t want to start the soundtrack on a somber note, especially when there is a lot more to go. I picture the hopeful ending to the piece reflecting in game as an optimistic remark that maybe you won’t have to run forever.

Track 2: Running Through the Woodlands

This is a very typical “forest” theme with pizzicato strings and woodwind sounds. This is the first of the three “Run” themes, and it’s quite playful with the bouncing strings and mallets. In the game, this would most likely be the first area you would be traversing through. A dense forest is the perfect playground to get accustomed to controls and obstacles after all. 

Track 3: Running Through the Seaside

The next running track is a completely different style. To exhibit the feeling of a seaside adventure, I heavily leaned into Latin Jazz percussion. Lots of Congas, Bongos, Maracas, Claves and more. The rhythm section stays busy on this one. Piano, Acoustic Guitar and Accordion take over as melodic instruments and they all trade the melody and countermelody constantly. This is personally my favorite one of the OST, the Accordion sound mixed with the groovy rhythm just makes it really fun to listen too.

Track 4: Running Through the Frozen Glades

Slowing things down is the final running piece based on a journey through a field of snow. I envision this as one of the last areas in the game. The chilling environment, the barren landscape and thick snow making all serve as a perfect challenge to transition to the final parts of the game. This track is quite simple to reflect the bareness of the area, with all instruments playing in the upper registers. 

Track 5: Run Away!

The penultimate track is the final showdown. After making through the treacherous snow lands, your pursuers finally catch up to you. This is the final stretch of the journey, so all you can do is run away one last time. 

Track 6: Home Away From Home

An almost reprise of Farewell, this track wraps up the adventure with a triumphant piece. It fits very well as a finale piece with a lot of expression with tempo and dynamics.

The soundtrack is available on Soundcloud and downloadable MP3s on itch.io. Thank you for listening to my music and I hope you enjoy it!